It was a chilly night in Los Angeles that December of 2005. I stared at the back of my friend's car before she pulled away. I remember as she drove off I was completely humbled. A friend of mine, Wendy, was packing up from Los Angeles and heading to South Africa indefinitely. She was working for a program called NextAid whose mission is to improve the lives of children, youth, and women in Africa by promoting and implementing sustainable solutions. Wendy was headed to the town of Dennilton to start working with the families based in that town. She was saying goodbye and leaving everything she had known for years to start a new chapter in her life. She was saying goodbye yet also saying hello to making a difference.
That night on my ride home, I listened to a CD she gave me of the Children of Agape choir that was beautiful and moving. I thought about how important it is to let go and say goodbye so that new opportunities to make a difference show up in your life. Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye and trusting your gut to know when you’re ready for a change is key. When you are ready to make a big life change and you make that leap, you are clearing space in your heart to let another life experience manifest. You are never truly saying goodbye as your memories will always be with you. It’s like that Beatles song, “Hello, Goodbye.” They lyrics are quite meaningful: “I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello!”
When I said goodbye to Wendy that night, little did I know that two years later I would be packing up from Los Angeles to head on my own adventure and move back to the east coast. Once the decision had been made, I felt free. I carried that sense of freedom and adventure with me and it was so liberating. I was truly saying hello to life and life certainly said hello back!
I am thankful as I sit here and remember the long three hour chat Wendy and I had that evening. She helped me realize what was important again. Too often I get wrapped up with the everyday stress of life and forget. When I remember, I am humbled. How can I not be?
Thank you, Wendy, for being such an amazing inspiration to so many people.