Goodbye

No matter how hard we try, some good things never last.

One of my best friends left for good our community. I have prepared myself for this leavetaking, but still I feel the pain. More and more I come to terms with the temporariness of everything. We get to know people, with more or less difficulties, we build relationships, dare to trust and to love, then it is time to let go. Is it then worth it to build deep friendships?

It is really a question for me and I am almost tempted to take the easy way out. Knowing myself, I know that I wouldn’t do that. I would always risk to love. I hope it is not only because of my type of personality or temperament, but because of a deep conviction that love is the essence of being a human person, created in the image and likeness of God. But I hope that my love becomes purer each day, freely received and freely given. I hope I don’t use “love” to assuage the “ache” within which only God can fill. In short, I hope I don’t love people for my own selfish reasons. It is not going to be easy. I would need to be very truthful to myself and have the courage to face aloneness.

I thank my friend for these years that we have been together. She has really been a good friend, very patient in listening to me, even to my “crazy” ruminations. She has been a good model of a religious in her coherence and passion for the mission.

Goodbye, my friend, go with God.