"In his book A Severe Mercy Sheldon Vanauken, who lost his wife to cancer, tells of the last day he saw his friend C. S. Lewis. They had lunch together and talked about death or, as he says, "the wakening after death." Vanauken suggested that death would be a sort of coming home, and Lewis agreed. When it came time to part, he insisted that they keep in touch and then said with a cheerful grin, "We'll certainly meet again here or there." The two friends shook hands and Lewis made his way across the busy highway. Then he turned to Vanauken, raised his voice above the traffic, grinned and shouted, "Besides, Christians never say goodbye."
I've been thinking about this quote often here lately as I prepare to wave farewell to Fulton. It's from yet another one of my favorite books, A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. I certainly don't think of it in terms of the references to death, but more of the idea of saying goodbye. You know, I learned awhile ago what it means to exit gracefully, thus the name of this blog and the quote on the right side bar. People keep asking, "Are you ready to leave? Are you ready to be done here?" And my answer is "yes." Not in a "yes - thank God, I can't get out of here soon enough" sort of way, but rather "yes, I'm grateful for this season, and I know it's just one of many that I'll pass through." I'm ready to exit gracefully and to embrace whatever season God has for me next. I know that I'll keep in touch with many people and I'm fairly confident it won't be the last time I'll ever see them. Missouri has been a big part of my life and that's not something you just walk away from and never return to.
There will be many friends that I will turn to this weekend, grin and shout to them, "Besides, Christians never say goodbye!"
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