This is an article by Cheryl Richardson:
Saying goodbye. It's something we all do at various
times in our lives. Some of us do it consciously and intentionally,
while some of us avoid it like the plague. This week, as the summer
comes to an end and kids go back to school (or off to college for the
first time), I wanted to rebroadcast a newsletter from last year when
Michael and I were leaving our home of twelve years. Although we knew
there was an exciting beginning waiting in the wings, we were sad to
say goodbye to a place that had been near and dear to our hearts. The
sadness prompted me to share what I've learned about saying goodbye
over my lifetime. I hope it touches you in some valuable way...

1. Saying goodbye is a process not a destination.
Whether you're saying goodbye to a relationship that's ending, a child
who's gone off to college, a pet who has passed on, or a job you once
loved, it takes time to fully acknowledge and appreciate all that has
occurred. When we say goodbye, we never say goodbye to one person, one
event, or one thing. We say goodbye to many experiences -- the lessons
learned, the challenges won and lost, the unfulfilled promises, or the
unexpected joys. This takes time, patience, and a willingness to sift
through and experience all of our feelings.

2. You must fully embrace the ending to create a new beginning.
The best way to create the space for a great, new beginning is to fully
participate in the ending. This means acknowledging "what was" with
eyes wide open. I've learned to say goodbye with meaning and purpose by
using the power of ritual. I couldn't imagine moving out of my present
home, for example, without taking the time to walk through every room
with Michael, to reminisce about what happened there over time. The
ritual of revisiting the memories (and the feelings), both good and
bad, allows us to honor and appreciate the home we've been fortunate
enough to share together.

3. Surrender to the sadness. In my youth, I spent
enormous amounts of time and energy trying to avoid the pain of saying
goodbye -- resources that could have been put to better use. I've since
learned to accept and embrace the sadness as a normal part of the
process. After all, the sadness simply means that we're experiencing
the loss of something that held significance in our lives. It's earned
the right to pull at our hearts. If you allow yourself to go through it
instead of working hard to go around it, you'll save yourself a whole
lot of energy. You can't feel joy without cultivating the strength to
feel pain.
There's so much more to be said about saying goodbye, and this is
simply my attempt at a start. I hope it helps you in dealing with an
ending in your life. If the pain feels like too much, remember this:
There's a new beginning waiting to unfold. It's just not time yet. When
you fully honor what was, what will be, will be worth the wait.

Take Action Challenge
This week, do some kind of ritual that honors an ending in your
life. Throw away paperwork from an old job, write your college-bound
son or daughter a letter, light a candle for someone who has passed on,
or put away photographs from a relationship that's no longer in your
life. Whatever you do, do it with love and intention. After all, your
endings are just as important as your beginnings.