How We Say Goodbye

In the life of a Christian worker living overseas saying "goodbye" is part of a cycle. This cycle comes to an end (or a beginning, depending on how you look at it) every May. May is the time of year when school comes to an end and families leave temporarily or permanently.

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about May. Here's how I feel: I love you, May, because you bring the end of the school year. I hate you, May, because the tears flow when friends leave. May, you bring an empty feeling that could last for a while.

I celebrate my good-byes. I celebrate because I've learned lessons that were taught in a unique way by unique individuals. I celebrate because their journey ahead is full of exciting [scary] unknowns, where God will prove His faithfulness in a special way. I celebrate because new individuals will come into my life, new relationships will be established, and new lessons will be learned.

We have a unique way of saying good-bye. These next few posts will be about who and how we say good-bye.

I'll start with one that is very special to me. This is the 8th grade class.

 

They were the first class that I ever taught. (Yes, I was one of the "crazy" ones who combined culture shock and my first year of teaching.) Although I did not teach all of them in 6th grade, I did teach all of them this year in computer class. Iam so thankful in who they have become. Yes, they are still figuring out who they want to be in this world, but let's be honest- aren't we all still trying to figure out who God wants us to be and how He wants us to live in our world?

Josh and I were invited to a celebration of them. It was wonderful to honor their lives. Their parents had an opportunity to share baby photos and give words of wisdom, encouragement, and to declare their love and thankfulness for their child. It was beautiful. I'm convinced those students will remember the special words their parents said to them. It's not often when a parent will share their thoughts on an individual child, and it's not often that an 8th grader will sit still and listen. :) So with the 8th graders we celebrated their lives and accomplishments, and we said good-bye to them in middle school and welcome them to high school.

The 8th graders created this painting of the "8th Grade Sneak". This is a surprise day when the whole class and their teacher spend the day together doing something other than school. This year they had breakfast together, spent the day at the beach, watched a movie, and had a sleepover- the boys camped out and the girls stayed in a house.

Here we are at the 8th grade celebration: