Whilst Moving, and why I'm lousy at saying goodbye

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 PM

I hate, hate, hate saying goodbyes. I'm terrible at them, and usually end up crying like an idiot over the simplest things. And saying goodbye to my best friends isn't simple. But that's what I've been doing a whole lot of this past week--I've gone out to dinner and chatted with friends I know I won't see for years. And it's lousy. I mean, I like going out with everyone, but I hate knowing that I'm moving to a totally new place, where I know no one, and am going to have to hope and pray there are people there who appreciate my rather off-kilter sense of humor :)

This does have me thinking about writing (something I wish I were doing a whole lot more of at the moment!), namely those heart-achy scenes where someone's leaving, usually for good. They can be so hard to master correctly, without getting all overly-emotional (though that does seem to be my real-life response). I have one of these scenes coming up shortly, and I'm trying to work out the balance in the sadness of the moment mixed with the hope that maybe, somehow, things will work out to bring them together again in the future. It's a fun one :)

So, question: what's your favorite goodbye scene in a book or movie? I adore the Gone With the Wind "Frankly my dear..." scene--that's a classic! Can you name any others that you've liked?

And just for fun:

How I feel when I'm talking to my students some days!