Taken at Country Thunder in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin

The word goodbye can be put into context in many different ways. Some goodbyes are just momentary. You say “bye” when you drop a friend off at home. But it’s not a long goodbye it’s usually just a “see you tomorrow.”

But then there are the goodbye’s that are the closing to a relationship for a quite some time. At this time of year many are going off to college. I being one of them. As hard as it is to say goodbye it provides us closure. It gives us a sense of relief that the relationship we once had will be in tact again.

As I am one of the last of my friends to go off to school to start freshman year I have learned how hard it can be. You’re never prepared for the overwhelming amount of emotions that come along with having to let the other go.

One thing that many fail to forget is that we never say “goodbye forever” all we said was “goodbye.” as in “have a nice time!” “see you later!”

Taken at Cone in Chicago, Illinois

All of us have said goodbye to someone many times in our lives. But can you think of a goodbye to someone that you never said “hello” to again? I can think of a few but only because I lived in Singapore. The friends I said goodbye to there I have yet to say hello to again. But that was a chapter in my life that I knew was ending. If this is a chapter that you aren't ready to let go of, then most likely this is a chapter that isn't completely over.

This new chapter in my life, starting college, is a very long chapter. All the people I said goodbye to in the beginning of the chapter, are the same people I will say hello to at the end of the chapter. Although I'm sad to leave a portion of my life behind, I know that that portion will always be with me. The important moments in our lives cannot be erased just because we had to leave it behind.

So when you’re feeling down about saying goodbye to an old friend, just remember that in order to say goodbye there had to have been a hello. We say hello to people the same amount of times we say goodbye to people. The people who we truly care about are the people we take extra measures to stay in contact with. If the person you are missing right now means a lot to you, then they will stay in your life for as long as you continue to care about them. So why would this goodbye be the last?