David Archuleta - Saying Goodbye

A few days have passed since I said goodbye to David Archuleta and perhaps now I might be able to describe the feelings I had that night.

 Who would have thought it would have been so difficult for me to express my feelings and thoughts as I have been doing that for a few years in my articles and in my recent book about David “Through Our Eyes”.  But it was the most difficult few minutes I have ever experienced.  I have said goodbye to a loved one leaving for the Vietnam War, family and friends moving far away, and other occasions of separation from those I care deeply about.

How do you say goodbye?  The French have several different customs of saying goodbye; the one I like best is Adieu (pronounced ah dee yuh) it translates to “God be with you” and is generally used when you know that you won’t see the person in question for a long time. 

 As adults we experience traumatic emotions when someone we are attached to leaves us for any reason.  You hug them goodbye and all you want to do is hold on forever but you let go, smile and walk away. That is when love hurts the most.

Some Ancient teachings explain there is no goodbye. There is no separation because we are all one.  I believe that we are all one.  A person can go out of our life for a while, but the truth is we are not separate. This is easy to say but hard to put into practice.

As I struggled against the idea of saying goodbye I knew it was important to be honest with David and let him know I practiced the night before what I was going to say to him so I wouldn’t cry in front of him.  His smile told me what I needed to know, that he understood and that emotions were running high for everyone that evening,

I gave him the encouragement he deserved explaining to him that he would be a marvelous missionary, but in my opinion he already demonstrated that by his continuous support when I showed interest and joined the church.

While it is incredibly easy to get caught up in all the things the word goodbye brings and ends to, it is essential that we remain thankful for the moments we were lucky enough to have.

While it was hard to say goodbye, the hundreds of memories I made, were well worth the price.  While my soul is deeply saddened at the inability to now create memories on demand, I realize I have plenty.  I already have a plethora of amazing moments to revisit in my mind.

Our memories are more powerful than we can imagine.  Revisit them frequently and you will find you have the ability to connect with anyone at any time regardless of location.

(My Adieu)

Looking back these past four years

In my eyes appear some tears

How fast it all came

Those sweet four years

Memories appear of happiness and joy

That can’t be replaced for ever more

For now it’s a journey worth doing

A time to share, a time to dare

Something that’s in your heart

The incredible power of Faith

You can do great things

Make your days count

Goodbye for now

You will always have a place in my heart

So when your journey ends

Just remember, fate will let us meet again

Finding such a strong purpose and dream in his life serves to inspire those around him.  I wish him much blessing in all he does and wherever God may place him.