Tonight I said good-bye to our friends from the Netherlands. I had a delightful time with them and tonight feel some sadness at how far away the other side of the Ocean is…
But I am also reminded of Dr Seuss’s words…Don’t cry because it is over, smile because it happened….
And so tonight, my heart holds many good memories and I have images in my memory of travels to Northern Michigan, biking on hot days and gezellig moments in conversation and connecting. (For you non dutch readers, according to Wikipedia, “A perfect example of untranslatability is seen in the Dutch language through the word gezellig, which does not have an English equivalent. Literally, it means cozy, quaint, or nice, but can also connote time spent with loved ones, seeing a friend after a long absence, or general togetherness.”)
But perhaps one of my favorites is the Dutch good-bye. I have experienced this often with my own relatives. It is not just a quick good-bye, but it is a standing and waving until the car is out of sight. It is not a simple wave of the hand, it is an all out full arm wave, full of emotion…(as much as a wave
can be). It is the looking back and seeing them still waving and the feeling that they have not turned their backs to resume activity, but they are sending you off with their full attention….
And so, I sent off my friends tonight with a hug and shared words and a wave in my memory that seemed to go forever. I love the dutch good-bye!