Late Saturday night, I sat at my Granny’s bar shuffling through songs on my laptop from Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, and Eric Clapton. I just couldn’t find a song for Dad’s slideshow that I’d made for his memorial service. Drew sat across from me. We laughed at some of the choices, like “Blowing in the Wind” and “Death is Not the End”. I told Drew I was going to look at the Beatles, because surely they have a song that would feel right.
“There’s “Hey Jude” or “Yesterday”. Mmmmm…no, I’m gonna keep lookin’,” I told him. Then, I saw it.
“Hello, Goodbye”
Tears welled up in my eyes. I pressed the play button, looked up at Drew, and said, “This is it!” Then, I told him why.
Last month after my visit with Dad before heading back to the airport to go back home, it was time to tell Dad “goodbye” and give him one last hug. As I started to wrap my arms around his frail, boney body, I stopped and looked him the eye saying, Dad, I’m not saying Goodbye.” [You see his Mom, my Grandmother, always said in her last days that she wouldn’t say goodbye. She always said, “See ya later.” So in my mind that’s what I was thinking.] However, Dad answered back, “No, we’re not saying goodbye, I’m saying Hello.”
So imagine the feeling I had when I had scrolled down on my screen and seeing those 2 simple words, “Hello, Goodbye.” At the time Dad said that, I had no idea that it was a reference to a Beatles song. I felt a great peace when I came across those 2 words on the screen and as I listened to it tears just rolled down my cheeks. This was the song, Dad would have wanted played during this slideshow.
I will have to say that this story that I ended up sharing at the memorial service was completely God working through me. Like I said at the service, I’m not an off the cuff kind of person. I’m not one to just jump up in front of people and share stories at all! In fact, I’m usually a nervous basket case, who must have everything typed up because when I mess I need notes to refer to. God worked wonders in me not only by holding me up through that entire day, but giving me the strength to stand up and speak so eloquently without mistake, something I hadn’t really prepared for at all.