By far the hardest part of leaving Michigan was saying goodbye. Parting with our son (who is staying in Michigan), our friends and our church family was emotionally draining, but still good and necessary.
What can you say to people you have known and loved for years, but won't see regularly anymore? I tried to minimize the loss by saying to some, "This isn't 'goodbye', it's 'see you later'." But it wasn't a very effective way to soothe the ache I was feeling. It was also tempting to sneak away and avoid the pain altogether... but that wasn't really an option either.
So we walked through it, day by day for a few weeks, visiting and hugging and enjoying last meals and conversations with people we care about. It was tearful and amazingly difficult at times, but gave us a sense of closure we would not have otherwise had.
I've been meditating on Psalm 126:5-6 since we sang this song on Sunday while visiting a church on Lookout Mountain, Georgia with our son (on our route to Florida):
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
We have sown many tears in recent days, but we "go out weeping, bearing the seeds for sowing". May God bless our efforts to plant and grow a new body of believers in Naples. Now we are eagerly anticipating shouts of joy.
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