8/11/2019 August 2014 - Week 1c
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H ow lucky I am to havesomething that makes sayinggood-bye so
hard.
Last week I said good-bye to my
babies. My beautiful, hilarious,
naughty, smart, loving babies. The
precious ones who have stolen myheart this year. The little
terrors who
make me want to laugh and cry all at
the same time.
And I had to tell them I wasnt
coming back.
It was one of the hardest things I
have ever had to do in my life.
The stunned silence after I toldthem they would have a new
foreign
teacher next year, then the shouts of
Bu yao zou! (I dont want you to
go) / No go America! / Yao Meesa
Lindsay! (I want Meesa Lindsay);
followed by the sobs of the children
in the class.
And this happened eight times.
Watching the tears rolls down their
beautiful faces was almost more than
I could bear. I will never forget the
sounds of those sobs and the cries of
Meesa Lindsay no go America!
The hardest good-bye was to my
Dustin. I had told the kids to draw
their favorite memory of me. While
his classmates were busy working,
he just sat there. Finally he came to
me and said, Meesa Lindsay, I cant
draw it. I walked over to his desk
with him and said, Yes you can. I
know you can.
Thats when he just put his head on
his desk and began to weep. I had
not expected him to cryhes such
a strong little boy. Seeing those tears,
I broke down sobbing. I hugged him
so tight as he buried his head in myshoulder. And we wept
together. I
promised him I would always love
him, that I would never forget him,
and that I would come back and see
him one day. Finally I couldnt bear
it anymoreI let him go and I went
over to my co-teacher, Candy, who
was also in tears. I told her, I cant
do it, Candy. I cant say good-bye!
Ive said many good-byes in my lif
Moving every two years with the A
Force kind of lends itself to saying
many good-byes. So I thought this
good-bye would be like so many
of the ones Ive said in the past. I
had no idea the pain that this good-
July 2014 | l [email protected]
Broken hearts
Dustins family gave ma giftso preciou
8/11/2019 August 2014 - Week 1c
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bye would hold for me and for my
babies.
I broke their hearts and in the
process, mine was broken.
What do I say when they beg me
not to go? What do I say when they
say they dont want another foreign
teacher? What do I do when they aresobbing on me? What do I do
when
I walk into the ofce and there is
Dustins mom weeping as she was
writing a good-bye note to me?
I did the only thing I knew to do
I hugged them, wept with them, and
told them I loved them, that I will
love them forever.
There are no words to describe whatits like to say good-bye to
288
precious little ones who have stolen
your heart. Its a grief I have never
known; its an indescribable pain; its
a heartache that never ends.
I can only thank Father for this year,
for the opportunity to experience the
love of my babies. I praise Father
for how He has worked in my life,
for how He has used these babiesto change me. Without my babies,
I
would not know how to really love.
True love crosses any language and
cultural barrier.
For the rst time in my life, I can
honestly say I know what it means
to truly love someone. Thank Father
for my babies, thank Father for their
love, thank Father for the tears that
we shed together.
A wise friend told me, Lindsay,
those tears are a sign of a job well
done, of Fathers presence in yourclassroom. If that is true, I
praise
Father for those tears. As painful and
heart-breaking as those tears were,
if they mean my babies saw Fathers
love, then it was all worth it.
He is worth it.
Me and my crazy class
Weeping togeth
Dearest Abby
Saying good-bto Clas
