Encounter 

We were riding through frozen fields ina wagon at dawn. 

A red wing rose in the darkness.

And suddenly a hare ran across the road.

One of us pointed to it with his hand.

That was long ago.  Today neither of them is alive,

Not the hare, nor the man who made the gesture.

O my love, where are they, where are they going?

The flash of a hand, streak of movement, rustle of pebbles.

I ask not out of sorrow, but in wonder.
--Czeslaw Milosz

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted.

The past couple of weeks here at TCIS have been full of good-byes....too many good-byes.  For me, the most challenging part about working in education has always been the end of the year.............the good-byes are the hardest.

Here in South Korea we have been saying good-bye to graduating seniors that are matriculating to universities throughout the world; we have been saying good-bye to other students, Kindergarten through 11th grade, that are either leaving for the summer or are moving to another country and we are saying good-bye to staff members-new friends-that are moving away.

We are learning that movement, change, transition, .... good-byes, are inherent to international schools and education.  Most of the good-byes that we experience in life are temporary-for a time.  We say, "See you next year," or we minimize the separation because people are just moving to a nearby town or state.  Here at TCIS people are moving away to places all over the world.  As people load the buses with their luggage, bags and boxes, and head for the Incheon Airport, we realize that we are likely to never see them again.  Good-byes are hard.  Forever good-byes are the worst.

You know all too well how hard good-byes are.  Temporary good-byes leave us sorrowful.  Forever good-byes leave us.....there are no words.

I think this must have been how the disciples felt when Jesus ascended into heaven and left them.  In Acts 10 it says,

" They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

For some good-byes there are no words.  The disciples just stood there, tearfully looking into the sky.......in wonder.

In Jesus, there are good-byes, for a time, but there are no forever good-byes.  The angels' promise to the disciples that Jesus will return is confirmed in the Apostle John's vision of things to come.  In Revelation 21 it says,

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

In Jesus good-byes are only temporary.  In Him all things will change--there will be no more tears, no more death, no more crying, no more mourning, no more pain......

No more goodbyes........forever.

I'm glad, aren't you?