Good-Bye

 

Good-bye New York. Thank you for all the memories. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye house. Thank you for your windows, from which we watched the seasons change year-after-year. Thank you for your walls which kept us warm through so many cold winter nights and cool through so many hot & humid summer days. Thank you for your carpets that cushioned my babies’ knees when they learned to crawl and caught their bottoms when they fell after their first steps. Thank you for your bath tub where we went almost every night for a splash and a giggle. Thank you for standing over us while we dreamt. Thank you for your rooms that hosted priceless family moments. Thank you for being a place to hang my pictures. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye yard. Thank you for your green grass and all the dandelions and wildflowers, which never ceased to bring a smile to my little girl’s face. Thank you for your gentle slope, down which we snow sledded until our fingers were numb. Thank you for giving us a place to play. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye street. Thank you for all the stroller walks, bike races, and wagon rides. Thank you for leading us down the road to so many adventures. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye local farms. Thank you for your corn maze and petting zoo, where we could always count on going to savor the crisp autumn days. Thank you for your apple trees, that gifted us with their fruit to make the most delicious homemade pies. Thank you for bringing the beauty of nature to our doorstep. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye parks and playgrounds. Thank you for your slides, your swings, your monkey bars, your teeter-totters, your sandboxes, and more. Thank you for all the picnics that we ate in your fields, the cool breezes that rustled our hair while we enjoyed our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Thank you for welcoming us when we needed to escape. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye preschool. Thank you for teaching Josie how to recognize her shapes and colors. Thank you for teaching her to sing. Thank you for encouraging her love of crafts. Thank you for helping her blossom and preparing her for the school-age journey ahead. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye shopping mall. Thank you for the clothes we bought from your stores, the meals we ate in your food court, the movies we watched in your theatre, the fun we had in your play area. Thank you for Gymboree, the place that taught me the definition of “retail therapy,” the place that I could always count on to turn my bad day around. Thank you for your consistency; for being there in rain or shine. Thank you for being a meeting place for us and our friends. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye hospital. Thank you for your doctors and your nurses, who helped bring my three beautiful babies healthily into this world. Thank you for caring for us. Thank you for easing my emergence into motherhood. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye commissary and grocery stores. Thank you for occasionally offering car-shaped shopping carts so that the kids could pretend to steer while I regained some mid-aisle composure. Thank you for offering good deals, affordable prices, and for accepting coupons. Thank you for selling the food that filled my families’ bellies. Thank you for giving us the energy to enjoy life. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye church. Thank you for all the Sunday school lessons, Bible studies, and worship services that made possible my spiritual growth. Thank you for teaching me what it means to really pray. Thank you for introducing my children to Jesus. Thank you for all the congregational breakfasts and pot luck dinners that offered me a chance to fellowship. Thank you for asking me to help you and giving me a reason to use my God-given spiritual gifts. Thank you for making me into a mature, confident, Christ-centered woman of faith. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye friends. Thank you for all the early morning, midday, and late night adventures. Thank you for all the times we laughed so hard we cried. Thank you for all the times we cried, either out of sadness, frustration or endearment. Thank you for all your words of wisdom. Thank you for being there to help us in our most dire hours of need. Thank you for showing me what it means to be a friend. Thank you for all the homemade meals and decadent desserts and thank you for sharing your recipes. Thank you for welcoming me into your homes and into your hearts as if I was part of your family. Thank you for being my family. I love you. I’ll miss you more than words can say.

Good-bye New York. Thank you for everything. I love you. I’ll miss you.

Good-bye. I love you!