There are probably times when saying “goodbye” feels like an easy thing, but there are many times when it feels very difficult.  We get used to having someone there.  We get used to their mannerisms, their laughs, their fears, and the way they move through life.  They become comfortable and familiar.  We make a place in our heart and mind for them.  And when we say “goodbye”, what do we do with that place?  Do we leave it empty, try to fill it with something else, or try to pretend it doesn’t exist?  Or perhaps we could find a way to keep it full with our memories with them.  Perhaps we could reminisce about the times we danced together, laughed together, told jokes together, and cried together.  We can think about how they came into our lives at a time when we really needed them to be who they were for us.  Perhaps we could find new ways to connect with them – a text, a prayer, or an e-mail.  It won’t be the same, but those things can help.  We can also choose to send them, with a full heart, knowing that other people – new people, will come to need them in the same way that we have needed them.  Today, I will learn to say “goodbye” in a way that holds their memory and their place in my heart, while also letting go in a way that frees others to receive them.