Between Goodbye and Hello
A poem and some thoughts
Dearest readers, I wrote today’s post some time ago, when I found myself suspended between a goodbye and a hello. Taking Bukowski’s advice to “write about what hurts…,” I let the words pour out, hoping they might ease the weight I was carrying. Whether writing heals or not, it always seems to lighten the burden just enough. I share this now in the hope that it might do the same for you.
Such Sweet Sorrow
Close the doors, turn off the lights,
Kiss everything goodbye.
Watch the colours fade away
As the world turns black and white.
To honour all the good times made,
Cry your tears—then wipe them dry.
Calm your heart, for goodness’ sake,
And let the memories lie.
Tell a story of a meadow,
Where flowers once would bloom—
A garden lost to time and change,
Now silent in its doom.
Sing your soul a lullaby
Of a bird who learned to fly,
Only to lose its wings one night
Beneath a wicked sky.
A tale as old as time, reversed,
To find what once was true—
To recover a reality
That always belonged to you.
Rest your body, tame your nerves—
Because, darling,
Love hurts.
A cascade of emotions rendered me vain as I left to begin this new chapter of my life. Relocating to a new place is as hard as it can be. Saying goodbye to people who love you, whom you love, isn’t easy. And it leaves you drenched in your own salty tears. Your heart feels heavy. Your mind floods with memories. Suddenly, the simplest things—like a corner of your home, a certain laugh, or even a shared silence—become precious. Moments you didn’t realise you were living for now echo in your heart.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” — A.A. Milne
Albeit, it teaches you something. It proves God’s presence. Yes, this new chapter may be scary and unfamiliar, but the attachment we feel to the previous just shows how blessed you were. It reveals how God helped you so much and bestowed so much of His mercy that you long for it. The people you miss are God’s angels, and the places you miss are little bits of heaven. They’re signs that you were exactly where you were meant to be, at exactly the right time. And now, He’s calling you somewhere else—for a reason that will unfold in time.
The familiarity and comfort we feel symbolise how our bonds and memories are timeless and will always be cherished. They don’t expire. They don’t vanish just because the setting changes. They travel with you, tucked gently in the pockets of your soul. And you know what? This new chapter may be even better, and the funny part is that you’ll never know until it ends and the cycle repeats again. That’s the beauty and the mystery of it all—you only see the full picture when you’re looking back.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
So I guess what may seem hard in the moment may just be a gateway to paradise, a blessing in disguise, or maybe even a breath of fresh air. A new air to breathe, new skies to look up at, new hearts to meet, and new corners of yourself to uncover. God works in mysterious ways, but in the end, it’s all been planned and paved out a certain way for a certain reason. You may not understand it now—you’re not meant to, not yet—but one day, it’ll make sense. One day, it’ll feel like it all had to happen just the way it did.
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
And that concept may be difficult to understand, but it remains a truth. And we all know the truth is always a little harder to accept. It takes surrender. It takes faith. It takes letting go of control and leaning into what’s already written.
What I believe is that we are placed in a certain situation, given a specific challenge, and made to meet certain people, all for a beautiful reason. It all paves the way to our unique purposes in life. We may not realise it in the moment, but every interaction, every goodbye, every detour is a thread in a greater story being woven. A story that only God sees in full.
So, isn’t it better to smile through it? I guess it is, and I guess I’ll have to do it anyway because life doesn’t stop for our fears. Time doesn’t pause for our uncertainty. And sometimes, we just have to keep walking—even if our hands are shaking and our eyes are wet. Because maybe the next thing waiting for us is everything we’ve been praying for, just in a different form.
“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”
— Rumi
And maybe one day, when this chapter closes too, I’ll look back and realise it was exactly what I needed. Just like the last one. Just like every one before it. And that’s the strange comfort in it all—that nothing is ever wasted. Nothing is random. It’s all a part of something beautiful.
So for now, I’ll trust. I’ll grieve what I’m leaving, celebrate what I’ve had, and hold on to hope for what’s to come. After all, faith isn’t knowing what’s next—it’s believing that whatever comes, I won’t face it alone.
I really really hope you had a pleasant time reading this, and I hope you resonated with my words.
I wish you all health and happiness always. Thank you for your time.
Very beautifully expressed and written Ayesha. Thank you. May your next steps be filled with Heavenly father's favour and blessings as He watches over you and is guarding you.
You remind me of my daughter. Thank you. 💌