| As much as parting with anyone can be painful, in the end, you have to weigh out whether the outcome of circumstances defines the value or if simply the beauty and joy of the relationship itself, regardless of the outcome, made it worthwhile.
In life, part of the richness of love and friendship and closeness comes with the risk of loss. If you truly care for someone, and have a deep connection, then you risk great pain at the same time. No relationship comes with a guarantee that all will be well forever. Not family, friends or lovers.
Sometimes, the best gift you can give is to care enough to let someone go because that is what they need, despite what you want. You do it with as much grace as you can muster. Life is about changes and nothing is certain.
In my life, I've had to say goodbye to many people I have cared for deeply, for a variety of reasons. The pain of those experiences, however deep, has only made future "hellos" more meaningful to me, since I am all too aware that a goodbye may happen at some point. Those losses in life, which we all go through, either make you into someone who shuts out love and compassion and a passion for life and people, or it makes you someone who embraces the nature of uncertainty, and relishes those you love even more, so that if things come to an end, there was never a doubt as to where you stood. And that you loved them with all you had. Regardless of the outcome.
Only you can decide which path to go. You can't chain people. You can't control them. But you can always choose your actions following loss. |