How to say good-bye

How do you say good-bye to someone you love?  There is no way to prepare the heart and mind for the ultimate good-bye.  I had been trying to be prepared.  I can prepare for a trip and have everything I need ready or prepare myself to go non-stop for a time, but to prepare myself to say good-bye...  I’m not talking about the “see you later’, or “until next time”.  What happened to the wedding day excitement with her or the “so I met this guy” conversation or the exclaimed “I’m pregnant!” or “here hold your grandchild.”   What about the laughter from inside jokes so that we laugh so hard “water gushes out of our eyes and our cheeks hurt”?  Those kinds of days still make me smile.  Techniques I gained in the kitchen will never be forgotten and recipes you shared will always be a favorite.  I still remember, before I had the privilege of meeting you, getting packages from you and dad. I do not remember all that was in the packages but I remember the envelope that you had colored the sun and rainbow on before you shipped it out.  I still remember when you used the colored pens you sent to me and wrote a note using each pen color.  When I met you, you took me in as if I were your own.  You took me shopping and you told me what colors looked good on me.  We stared at the kitchen gadgets saying how each would be handy.  We feasted on the food network, when is now lovingly referred to as “food porn.”  You took me to my first pedicure.  You have helped me get presents for my dad, who we both know is impossible to buy for.  We even ganged up on dad when I came to visit.  I remember the day when I said “you don’t have to like me you know.  I have seen other step-children and their parents, they do not get along.”  You looked at me and just reassured me that we are not like other families.  I know the time and place and even the person we were talking to when you first called me your daughter.  We were loading a refrigerator for a doctor friend of yours and we were outside of his apartment complex.  I was honored that day and I still am honored to be called your daughter.  You drove twelve hours one way to visit me this past year.   You were all by yourself and on vacation from work and you came to see me.  That meant a lot then and even more now.  I told everyone I knew you were coming because I was so excited.  While you were in Kansas, I learned what your “not surprised face” looks like.  You also gave me tips to keep my house from getting dusty and even decorating ideas.  To be honest, I could go on and on about the different things you have taught me through the years, but the thing I learned the most was learned just by watching you.  You put others first just as you put me first.  I learned you were Heidi's best friend while she was in high school.  You took her out on your own initiative and bought her clothing to wear to our grandpa’s funeral.  You did the blood work and were the first to say, "yes, Jenny, you are pregnant."   My aunt may have dressed my dad up in dresses and the such, but you are the only true sister she has ever known.  I have learned many things from you.  Things that I would prefer to not learn right now but I am anyway.  I am learning things like a day should never be taken for granted.  Time with those we love should never be wasted.  The continuation of things learned from you may have come to a halt, but those that I have learned will stay with me through my life.  I will pass them down to my children and say “your Gram Melody taught me…”  You will not be forgotten and your legacy will continue.  After all you have a son and a daughter.