When We Say "Hello"

When we say “Hello”

         We have to one day say “Goodbye”

God knows how long that may be,

God gives us the season,

God knows.

When we say “Hello”

we risk opening ourselves to someone’s

         joy

                  sorrow

                           their hope for the ‘morrow.

We entwine our lives if we are lucky,

deeply rooted in sharing

stories

     values

         dreams.

The “Hello” and “Goodbye” become root and flower

The green our encounters, every leaf

a story

     a hug

          a remembrance

               a book along the way.

The nourishing water is

         a familiar psalm

                  sips of sweet wine

                           broken bread

                                    a prayer together.

As plants flourish when cared for and fed,

So we are called to care for and feed one another,

Just as Christ cares for and feeds us with living water.

So for us, the risk is not in saying “Goodbye”

But in not saying “Hello” at all.

©2011