04/08/23 HAVE A NICE TRIP

04/08/23 HAVE A NICE TRIP

HAVE A NICE TRIP
Bus stations, train depots, airports, piers are all words that stir the imagination. We go to these places to welcome or bid farewell to friends and loved ones, either because they are going or coming or we are going or coming. These are places of anticipation, excitement, trepidation, heartache. Sometimes people leave without fanfare, streamers, horns, hugs and gifts.

I have stood on the pier, watched from the concourse, waved goodbye as I started my own journey, and felt the excitement and the sudden emptiness of departure. I have traveled by bus, train, plane, ship. I have watched as other folks left in these various ways. Most of the time it is for a short or limited separation, but we never really know at the moment.

However, there is a terminal "terminal" from which everyone will leave some day. There may be a gathering of loved ones, or it may be a final lonely moment. In that moment it will be impossible to tell others how much you have loved them, it will be too late to make plans for an upcoming celebration, and unsettled problems may be left unsettled. That final departure may last forever or it could a bittersweet, "I'll see you later," moment.

That final departure can come suddenly, but even if it is foreseen and anticipated, it could leave broken hearts, cluttered lives, unanswered questions, unstated declarations. Final hugs, tear filled eyes, unhealed regrets, life long sorrow may be all that is left when the soul takes its leave.

As you can see, this analogy can go on and on, but there will come that final departure. We can't change other people and we can't always retrieve lost relationships. We can't always do things or say things that will please or satisfy other people, but we can live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. Pleasing God is essential. Pleasing God is an internal thing and not just an outward display. Live in such a way that your "final goodby," is a hopeful and joyful, "I'll see you later, over yonder."

To all my friends and loved ones, if I don't see you later in this life, I want to see you over yonder, and maybe meet you in the air.