Goodbye's Stink

Within the course of this month, I have had the duty of saying "Goodbye", "Au Revoir" and "Tchau" to 3 friends that I have grown to know and love while living in Greenville.

In the beginning of the month, my friend Kim and her little girl Sloane, moved back to their hometown of Kansas City, MO.  Her husband was here on a contract, that we all knew would expire eventually... but we didn't know that we'd become so fond of each other and that our children would love each other as well.  I met Kim last summer at our old apartment complex pool.  Sloane was only 8 months then, and Marco was about to turn 1.  Our kids couldn't play so well together then, but that would change as they got older.  I instantly liked Kim.  Like me, she was a teacher turned stay-at-home mom.  Having no family around, and no one else to call, we began hanging out a lot.  She was one of the few people I could call at 9am to make plans for that same day.  "Wanna meet at the park?"  "Sure!".  Marco knew that Kim had all the good snacks stashed away in her book bag and had no problem helping himself to all of them!  He learned to play alongside Sloane and share "cuh-cuhs" and balls with her.  When Jonas was born, Kim really pulled through for me.  She stayed with Marco many times so that I could go alone to the hospital to visit Jonas in the NICU.  She was always willing to help and never asked for anything in return.  I truly valued her friendship and have missed her and little Sloane a great deal.

Last week, Marco and I had to say goodbye to another wonderful playmate and friend, Maud and Bastian.  I think that Bastian was Marco's best friend, and he still asks for him regularly.  Like Kim, Maud and Bastian were only here temporarily.  Maud's husband moved their family to Greenville from Belgium before Bastian was born, and now they got the chance to move closer to home.  They'll be just 4 hours from Belgium, in a French city (i don't know which).  I actually met Maud a few weeks after Marco was born.  She also lived in our apartment complex and she saw me putting Marco in the car seat and she had baby Bastian with her as well.  Bastian is only 15 days older than Marco.  We didn't get to know each other then, however.  It wasn't until she began taking Bastian to Bouncing Babies at the library that we got close.  Kim and Maud became my go-to-girls.  We would have play dates several times a week, and our kids became the 3 musketeers.  They loved each other!  Maud has saved my butt on several occasions, chasing after Marco and Bastian as they tried to escape from us at the parks or down the sidewalks.   She's the runner... not me... even though she's pregnant!  Maud was one of the most interesting people I've had the privilege of knowing.  I loved hearing about life in Europe, growing up there, their culture and customs.  She is such a wonderfully well rounded person, and I am blessed to have known her.  Who knows, maybe I can convince Mau to take us to France for a super special play date?!

A few weeks ago, we said goodbye to the first friends we made here in Greenville.  Stefania and Leo.  I actually met them before I officially moved here.  They're Brazilians... that explains a lot.  Brazilians stick together.  My friend Carol's mom, Anne, met them and being Brazilian, invited them over to share Thanksgiving dinner.  From then on, we continued to see them occasionally and eventually became friends.  They were a really great couple and friendship with them was nice because Mau got along well will Leo and I liked Stefania a lot... that rarely happens.  Stefania was my Twilight buddy (yes, the midnight showing) and we would always recommend books to one another.  She is also a pediatrician, and has taken my calls at all hours of the night with silly questions and concerns (Thanks!).  She got a better job with a practice down in Sebring, FL... just an hour south of Orlando.  I know we will definitely see them again and I'm sure that our friendship will be able to continue to grow even with the distance.

These 3 women and their families have changed me and shaped my life in Greenville.  I'm not going to lie and say I don't feel a bit lonely without them here... I do.  Some mornings I wonder who Marco will play with that day, and it's sad to think it wont be Bastian or Sloane.  Of course I still have friends here, but these girls became a little more than friends to me... they were my confidants.

My prayer for each of you is that you are blessed in this new era of your life.  That the Lord bless your house, your marriage, your finances and your children.  That you are happy and find comfort in your new life.  That you find new wonderful friends to surround you- but none as great as me.  I miss you guys, and goodbye's stink!