The Gift in Goodbye

by Beau Taplin

When it comes time to say farewell,
whether to a love,
a home,
a path,
or a life,
let your practice be always the same:
just as we do in those final moments of light
beneath the late-afternoon sun.
Sit quietly for a moment, allow your heart room
to be heard, keep your breath steady
and centered as you reflect on the blessings
that have made this time in your life
so meaningful and precious.
Appreciate its place
and acknowledge its passing,
but trust also in the promise of new beginnings.
Where one chapter closes,
another begins.
Where there is falling light,
there is always soon a rising sun.
For all the hurt and uncertainty of now,
there are still bright days ahead.
However long and deep the night may seem,
the dawn always returns again.
The world will sometimes take from you
the very thing you can’t bear to lose,
but if you listen closely to your heart,
if you look always for the light,
you will find it always offers something back.

from Here at Dawn: Poetry and Prose by Beau Taplin