A Teenager's Perspective on Saying Good-Bye

"When you’re a missionary kid, those last days you spend with friends are always treasured in the most special way. It’s as if the internal camera starts from the moment you reunite and until the goodbyes are said, every moment is captured in your mind forever. Those times of reunion are the happiest memories I have to this day. All the pain of the separation seems to disappear and you just click, like nothing ever happened. New happy, silly memories are created, from having a ball gown barbecue to just sitting on the back end of the car eating ice cream. Although the memories are happy, for me they’re always bittersweet, tainted by the goodbyes and silent longing. It almost annoys me, in a way. Why do I have to look back and feel pain? Could I live in those moments forever, please, God? Are there any good memories we possess without some measure of pain in it? But I realized I was looking at things with the wrong attitude. I should cherish the memory instead of push it away. Look back on it with fondness instead of bitterness. And above all I should be thankful that I had the memories at all." - Emma

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