goodbyes

This week I watched Rain say goodbye to another of his best friends. It's one of the things that gets me about living here. Sometimes people leave. And it's good that people move on to other things sometimes. We cannot all stay here forever, but it's hard to see friends go and even harder to watch your kids see friends go. It's happened for Rain a few times so far, but he's talking about it more this time.

I watched him Thursday night stand up in front of a room full of people and tell his friend what he liked about him and why he was going to miss him so much. It was watching him face fears and realize that he could. 

I saw the matching paper crosses he designed so he could have one and give his friend one - so they could always remember each other "like the birds in Home Alone."

I've also heard him thinking things through and ask good questions about whether or not God will help him not miss his friend. And was it God helping him last year to not cry when his friend left or was that self control? And what will it be like now? Who can he be best friends with now? 

And while I am sad he has had to say goodbye to his little friends, I am mostly more grateful that he has had such good friends. It is painful to miss people, but that is better than not having known what it's like in the first place.