Adam Young

"...and I’d be a total liar if I said I wanted to let go. But I knew I had to.

       Perhaps THAT, dear friends, is the hardest part of saying goodbye to someone; knowing you MUST move on even though every fiber of your being screams at you to obey your instincts to cling for dear life. Maybe that’s why the mountaineer must grit his teeth, dig in his claws and continue the climb, no matter the cost, no matter the odds, no matter the price. Every aching muscle screams at him to give up and go home but he MUST be strong, resilient, resolved and steadfast. It’s funny how the word “integrity” means nothing until you stare Anguish in the face and tell her sister Agony to beat it.

I stood on the steps like a stranger as I watched her walk to the car, back out the driveway, pull away down the street and disappear into the night.

And let me tell you this:  

Letting go made a mountain climber out of me, because saying goodbye was my Everest.

       However, despite such odds, the summit has been reached. Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life… but of course, it goes without saying that my strength is not my own, for I’ve been given far more grace than I deserve. Despite such a daunting task, I rest assured because I know I am not climbing alone, and that’s a heartening thought. The inescapable issue is the fact that I’ll never be able to listen to Remember To Breathe by Dashboard Confessional again without thinking about her. I suppose I can live with that.

       You’ve got mountains of your own, I’ll bet on it. Take heart. Be encouraged. Remain steadfast. Hang on for dear life. You’ve got a better grip than you realize.

An excerpt from Adam Young's blog post "Saying Goodbye." He is such an eloquent writer. An inspiration.