Morning goodbyes are hard.
They're hard for the parent who has to leave their family, working to support their most precious treasures.
They're hard on the parent left behind, knowing the whole day ahead is a solo mission.
But they're really hard on the kids—especially the littlest ones.
Because as adults, we know that when it comes to working, there's a time you clock in and a time you clock out. We know that sad goodbye will eventually turn into a sweet hello.
Every morning, I sit with my little guy at the front door and watch as he waves goodbye to daddy.
Some days he cries, others he waves fanatically, but every day he waits. He watches. He says goodbye.
I wonder, does he know that daddy will be walking through that door by 4 PM because that's the routine? Or because I tell him daddy's on his way?
Or does he simply trust his dad to always come back?
So often, we get swept up in the ebb and flow of life; it's easy to forget that we are not guaranteed that sweet hello. Sometimes the goodbye is all we get.
Sometimes, we don't even get that...
I need to remember that. Because when I say goodbye every morning, it's hard because of what it means the day will bring with it. The extra work. The double duty.
But, really, it should be hard because of what it means the day might not bring back to me.
And that is an awfully heavy thing to think about. But, boy, does it make that hello so much sweeter.
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