There Is Good In Goodbye

Some goodbyes are harder than others. Sometimes we see loved one pass on, we watch friends go another way, we grow and move in different directions. And sometimes, we intentionally say goodbye to harmful things, hurtful habits, or detrimental behaviors. I believe, that no matter the circumstance that brings us to a goodbye, there can be good in goodbye. Allow me to explain.

The phrase ‘goodbye’

In the 1500’s the phrase, ‘goodbye’ was not part of traditional language. It was a phrase altogether different. The phrase in passing was quite literally, “God be with Ye.” Isn’t that a wonderful turn of phrase? How completely peace-giving to have someone say to you, “God be with Ye.” It is both a blessing for the road, and a hope for the future. Which, in our culture today, is very different than the common term, ‘goodbye.’ Yes, it’s is still quite literally, Good, and Bye, but it still symbolizes an end to something. However, given the original terminology, there was absolute and certain good in the parting phrase: God be with Ye.

The turning of phrase

As time passed, the contraction of the phrase God be with Ye turned to “Godb’w’ye” which eventually became the common word, “goodbye.”

This leads me to think of all the goodbyes in my own life. I’ve said goodbye to hurtful relationships, I’ve said goodbye to bad habits, I’ve said goodbye to houses and homes. There have quite literally been thousands upon thousands of goodbyes in my lifetime; a thousand goodbye waves from the front door stoop, a thousand goodbyes at the end of a telephone conversation, a thousand goodbyes to bad habits at the start of a new year.

But, knowing that God be with Ye as the original intention behind the phrase seems to change it’s perspective in a million tiny ways.

Reframing your goodbyes

I do a lot of introspection; it is both a blessing and a curse. When I think of all the goodbyes I’ve said in my 50 some years, many of them were because of hurtful things that were said or done. Many of them, however, were because of the forming of new experiences, new pathways, or new relationships.

So, as we look toward the ending of another year, and the beginning of a new one, I want to encourage you to take a few moments and think of the goodbyes in your own life. Even the ones that were not easy, that were scary, that took incredible leaps of faith…think on those in a new light. I encourage you to think of your goodbyes with a softer heart.

Even, if just for a moment, go back to those painful moments of goodbye and reframe them in your mind’s eye as saying a kind, “God be with Ye.” Let them go again with a new, and hopeful expression, and a blessing.

Say God be with Ye to old relationships, God be with Ye to old habits, God be with Ye to the things that need to be let go. There can be good in goodbye when we reframe our goodbye to God be with Ye.

A hope for the future

As we approach 2025, there are new and exciting things on the horizon. We have big intentions, we have set goals, and made resolutions. One thing I want to encourage you in as this year winds to a close is to make your goodbyes sweet. Even those goodbyes that didn’t organically end well, settle in your mind to let go of the hurt.

And so, with the new year in sight, I say a fond farewell to 2024. It has been full of challenges and surprises. I embrace it warmly, even with its ups and downs. To you, friend, I wish you all the best in the coming year. I wish for you a hope for the future, a peace in your spirit, and new bold beginnings.

There is good in goodbye when we remember the original meaning: God be with Ye. And with that, friend, I bid you a happy new year and wave goodbye to 2024.

In all your travels, in all your endeavors, in all your daily tasks, I pray God be with Ye for the coming year.