Blessings, Joys, and Hugs

May 25, 2023

By Rev. Clara Thompson

Midweek Musings is a weekly Covenant blog with a variety of authors and a variety of topics.

It’s a lot more fun for me to say, “Hello!” than it is to say, “Goodbye.”

Maybe it is for you too.

Whether it is a familiar face or someone we’re meeting for the first time, “Hello!” is rich with possibility. It’s an opening. There’s the potential for some new encounters. There’s an anticipated future together, even if that future is known to be of a short duration.

“Goodbye,” on the other hand is a time of closure, of not knowing if and when we’ll see the person again. It is a time of ending. One of my sons usually says, “See you soon” rather than “Goodbye,” I suspect as a way of avoiding the time of ending.

It was wonderful to be able to say, “Hello!” again at Covenant in March of 2022 when I rejoined the staff as Parish Associate. To see familiar faces and greet new ones. To feel that potential for deeper conversations and for the sharing of faith. To anticipate a future together, even though I knew it was to be a short-term future.

The time has passed quickly. We’ve shared laughter and tears; we’ve shared faith.

We’ve grown, together. I am now retiring (again!) and this time it’s for real.

I will continue to hold you in my prayers. I will continue to hold you in my heart. And God will continue to hold each of us in a holy and loving embrace.

Thank you, one and all. May each of us continue our journeys with the sure and certain knowledge that we are not alone, for God is with us each and every step of the way.

Blessings, joys, and hugs,

Clara Thompson