DAY 27, JANUARY 28, 2023, A DAY IN MY LIFE…SNIPPETS OF ME By Pat Garcia @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @pat_garcia @Tweets4RWISA #RWISA #RRBC #RRBC_Community #ADayinMyLife

DAY 27, JANUARY 28, 2023, HOW DO YOU SAY GOODBYE?

This morning, after my contemplation, I read Nonnie Jules’ blog posting for Day 26. After reading her poem, I went to the blog posting of Shirley Harris-Slaughter and read her Day 26 posting.

Shirley’s article is entitled How Do You Say Goodbye?
Her question, along with Nonnie’s poem, threw me into contemplativeness again.

John Donne and his Meditation 17 rose within me. Especially the line that says, “any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind and therefore never send to know for whom the bell toll; it tolls for thee.”

We are all a part of humanity, whether we accept that or not. No one can guarantee they will make it through the day or wake up the next morning. Yet, we treat life as something we dictate, which is sad.

How do I say goodbye is the question that Shirley asked.


I don’t have an answer to that question. Living on another continent, far away from my family and extended family, I do everything within my power to love them in the now with phone calls, text messages, video calls, and visits when I am in the USA.

I tell and show them that I love them every chance I get. Who knows if I will have the opportunity to say or show that tomorrow?

I want to know that whenever one of them leaves this world, if they go before me, and step into eternity, I will have given them the most precious gift I possess, which is to love.

Knowing I have loved them doesn’t take away the sadness or the pain, but it comforts me.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”*
(New International Version 2011, Zondevan, The Gospel According To John John 15:9-13)

(NONNIE JULES’ POSTING is linked to this posting, and Shirley’s article is linked. You are welcome to read both postings. The links will take you directly to their blog articles.)

My list of open items includes the following:

  1. Revising the first 10K of my new novel. It usually takes me at least four to six days to fix 10K. I like to send her my final draft so that she understands the direction I’m moving in. 
  2. Answering emails and text messages, Daily
  3. Finishing the last revision of my first novel. 

Have a lovely Saturday. 

Shalom aleichem,

Pat Garcia

Author: patgarcia

Writer, Blogger, Poet, Singer, Musician

9 thoughts on “DAY 27, JANUARY 28, 2023, A DAY IN MY LIFE…SNIPPETS OF ME By Pat Garcia @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @pat_garcia @Tweets4RWISA #RWISA #RRBC #RRBC_Community #ADayinMyLife”

  1. Hi Pat, I agree that giving our love to someone is far more important than many people realize. It’s crucial that we not take one another, or the time we have together, for granted. Thank you for a beautiful post. : )

    Best wishes,
    Donna M. Atwood
    D. M. Atwood
    https://www.dmatwood.com

  2. Shirley Harris-Slaughter – I love old buildings and history. That's why I ended up writing about the history that surrounded me all of my life - "Our Lady of Victory, the Saga of an African-American Catholic Community." Plus our church had closed and the school is torn down, so I felt it was imperative that we preserve the history or it would be lost forever.
    Shirley Harris-Slaughter says:

    Hi Pat. I just read Nonnie’s poem on Day 26 in response to a text I sent to her. Now your response hits me by surprise. Everything I wrote has been healing and calming for me. I appreciate the conversation my journey has generated.

  3. Susanne Leist – United States – Welcome, reader. I’m the author behind two paranormal suspense series designed to keep you on the edge of your seat and maybe even tug at your heart. In The Dead Game Series, The Dead walk in the night and into the day, leading our heroines on a dangerous journey from the sunny shores of Florida to the icy reaches of Quebec. My latest project, The Blue Harbor Series, introduces a new pair of heroines determined to save their coastal town from an ancient Indian curse. In Book One: Meet Me In Maine, they confront the curse’s dark origin and the painful legacy of the Penobscot Nation, unjustly uprooted by colonization. So please sit back, put your feet up, and let me bring a little mystery and romance into your world. As a special treat, I invite you to read My Last Year, a heartfelt story written from the perspective of my beloved Maltese, Nounous, my muse, my shadow, and my best friend.
    Susanne Leist says:

    I agree. All we can do is love our family and friends. Love is often overlooked, but it’s our most precious commodity.

  4. Patty Perrin – Florida – Author of Teen/YA SciFi Adventure and Inspirational Non-Fiction, I'm an avid reader, happily married to the love of my life, a mom and gramma and a light and salty follower of Jesus Christ. I grew up an Army Brat in Europe, had no television, and subsequently read books for entertainment in-between adventures that my parents never knew about. My TETRASPHERE series is one I would have loved reading as a teen, which is why I wrote it. I still enjoy the Teen/YA genre, along with SciFi, Fantasy, Time-Travel, some Romance, Mystery, and a few non-fiction categories. If it has print, I will read it. If I can squeeze it into my Kindle, I will read it. You can find out more at www.ptlperrin.org.
    Patty Perrin says:

    Hi, Pat. You’re so right. We need to take every opportunity to express and show our love for everyone we care about. We must live out our faith and share it with whomever is open to hearing it, so that when it’s our turn to go Home, they’ll remember and have hope that we’ll see each other again. I prefer, “See you soon,” to “Goodbye,” even when it’s the last time we’ll see each other this side of Heaven. When someone leaves us, it doesn’t stop the ache or fill the hole our loved ones left behind, but it does give us comfort.

    Blessings!
    Patty

    1. Hi Patty,
      So true. It gives us comfort. How sad it is when our loved ones die and we didn’t tell them we love them.
      Shalom aleichem

  5. Hi, Pat! It’s always a good idea, no matter how busy we think we are, to keep in touch with our dearest family and friends, because once they are gone… there are no do-overs. I’m glad that poem gave you pause. It was so random, I’m surprised that it was so well-received as the comments would suggest.

    We have no guarantees of a tomorrow, which is why the importance of our todays loom so large.

    Thanks, Pat!

    http://www.nonniewrites.wordpress.com

  6. Beautiful post, Pat! I also don’t know the answer to how to say goodbye, but like you, I focus on saying hello, on sharing my love every day, and on making sure those I care about know I love them. If their journey ends abruptly, I want to know they knew they were loved. It’s all we really have control over – sharing our love.

    Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
    http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

  7. Stories by Karen – USA – Black began writing in 2010, combining imagination and experience to weave dramatic plots with believable characters in descriptive contemporary settings. She writes in a variety of genres, her character-driven storylines filled with adventure and drama in real-life situations. A four-legged character appears in most of her publications, a testament to her passion for animals. The author of novels, novelettes, and short stories, her books have received awards from Readers’ Favorite, Page Turner Awards, Literary Titan, International Impact, and KCT International Literary, along with accolades from Kirkus Reviews. Black lives in the United States with her husband, and two alien creatures disguised as cats. One of them, her muse, is rumored to be ET’s second cousin. The rumor, however, has not been confirmed.
    Karen Black says:

    You’re so right, Pat. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Love, however, I believe is forever.

  8. When human connection is difficult–or impossible–we have our divine advocate. I’m glad you stay in touch with family and friends digitally. Thanks for the links to Nonnie and Shirley’s blog. You are kind to share! 😀

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