A Question That Lingers
How often do we say goodbye—not just any goodbye, but goodbye forever?
It’s a question that I have thought about as I’ve worked on my historical fiction project. We often think of goodbyes as temporary. See you soon. Talk to you later. Text you later. Until next time. But for so many people in history—and in families like mine—goodbyes were final, spoken with no certainty of reunion.
When Goodbye Means Forever
In my book, I wrote:
The realization hit me like a stone: this was goodbye. Not just to the city or the magistrate’s office, but to everything I had ever known. The farm, the scent of Grandma’s bread baking on frosty mornings, Grandpa’s habitual double cough before speaking—
When I wrote those words, I was thinking about what it must have felt like to leave everything familiar behind. Not just places, but people. Grandparents, cousins, even children. Not just buildings, but memories. The small, ordinary moments that make up a life – everything.
The Weight of Leaving Home
Imagine standing on a platform, or at a harbor, or at the edge of a road—knowing that once you turn away, nothing will ever be the same again.
No more waking up to the same kitchen smells.
No more hearing the same voices at the table.
No more walking the same paths you’ve always known.
Just uncertainty ahead.
For many immigrants, refugees, and families separated by war or poverty, goodbye wasn’t a moment. It was a permanent dividing line between “before” and “after.”
What We Carry With Us
As I write this story, I’m reminded how brave those people were—especially young ones—who carried their memories with them into the unknown. They packed more than clothes into their suitcases. They carried traditions, faith, family stories, and love.
In many ways, this book is my way of honoring that courage.
Honoring Their Courage
So many of those who left never knew what awaited them. They walked forward without guarantees—only hope and determination.
Their sacrifices shaped the generations that followed.
Their choices made our lives possible.
Their courage deserves to be remembered.
A Question for Today
It’s also a reminder for us today.
We don’t always know when a moment is our last.
We don’t always realize which ordinary day will become a treasured memory.
We don’t always recognize when “see you later” might be more fragile than we think.
So perhaps the question is not only:
How often do people say goodbye forever?
But also:
How well are we loving the people and places we have right now?
Thank you for walking this journey with me as I continue to bring this story to life.
—Susan
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