A pile of crumpled tissues, wet with tears, lies on the table next to my recliner. It’s 5:30 a.m. An hour ago I waved goodbye to my oldest daughter as she drove away. She is headed 1,100 miles north in a U-Haul truck, towing her car behind. The vehicles are loaded with things she can use that I won’t be needing in the mission field. It’s the first of many goodbyes.

In 10 days I will wave goodbye to my youngest daughter as she goes through security at a nearby airport. God has miraculously opened the door for her to return to her field of service on the other side of the Atlantic. Unexpected visa issues brought her home to America in June. How I enjoyed having her with me during summer missions training!

The unexpected blessing of having both my daughters “home” for the past two and a half weeks has been wonderful. Moving is never fun, especially the last bit when odds and ends seem to multiply by the hour, but having my girls by my side made this overwhelming job doable. With laughter and tears we forged stronger family bonds and created new memories.

I don’t like goodbyes. They are painful. As I regard the pile of crumpled tissues by my side, God gently directs my thoughts. What if my daughters had not come? What if I had no daughters? What if our relationship was strained, and I was relieved when they left? Ah, that’s it, Lord. The silver lining of each painful goodbye is the blessing of the special relationship and treasured times it represents.

As I prepare to leave America and head to Southeast Asia, there is a mountain of crumpled tissues ahead. But I need not fear. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of treasured memories with special people. Thank you for showing me the silver lining of goodbyes.

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