Farewell Friday Five!

1. How do you say goodbye to someone you will see again soon?
“See ya!”

2. What is your favorite foreign word for "goodbye?"
German—“Bis Spaeter!” Literally, “until later,” so, “See you soon!”

3. Have you ever planned a special farewell for someone, or had one planned for you?
A couple of times. When I left the church I had belonged to for a long time for my internship and then ordained ministry, they invited me to preach, gave me a lovely stole (which is my “special occasions” stole), and had a reception after church. When I finished my transfer process from the UMC to MCC, and came to River City, the congregation I belonged to during the process had a special blessing-time for me during the last service. Both were very special times of recognizing what we had been to each other.

4. What is the hardest goodbye you have had to say?
To my father when he died. He did not believe in an afterlife, and so for him his death was the end. It was incredibly painful for me to see him dying, and thinking there was no more—and knowing I could not change his mind. I had tried and failed several times.

5. What is the most romantic goodbye you have seen in a movie?
Rick’s farewell to Ilsa in “Casablanca;” Lara and Yuri’s farewell in “Dr. Zhivago;“ and Vivian and Cay in “Desert Hearts.”

And a Bonus question for Musical Theatre geeks: Which Von Trapp child would you like to be in "So Long, Farewell?"
I can’t even remember all their names, let alone who had which line!