The art of saying good good-byes.

Read this in the 1994 edition of Reader's Digest. In any walk of life, dealing with partings positively and optimistically is not just a matter of good form : it is a way to make the last impression as memorable as the first. "In a remote village in Central America the word got out among the peoples of the region that one of the American missionaries that had served this country for many years was about to return to the US to live out the remaining years of her life. The nationals desired to honor her for her years of service with a public time of appreciation. News of the event went to all parts of the country in which the missionary was known to the people. One very old and very poor man walked to the ceremony over mountainous terrain for 4 days to bring his gift to the missionary. The gift consisted of 2 coconuts, but it was all the man had. The missionary recognized the man as coming from the remote village in the mountains. "Brother, I cannot believe that you would walk so far to present me with this gift," said the missionary to the man. His response "Long walk part of gift." Did you know that Good-Bye is a contraction of the common parting phrase "God be with you ". Bye Dee. May the force be with you.