How do you say Goodbye?

Next door has been buzzing with commotion lately. This weekend was a nonstop parade of cars containing people I’d never seen before. They were all there to say goodbye to our 27 year old next door neighbor, Colt. He’s our landlord’s grandson and has been living in the other house on our farm. He moved in about a year and a half ago after returning from Afghanistan, and we’ve loved having him as our neighbor. The only bad thing is he loves to shoot and in the beginning, I was constantly being jolted by the sounds of gunfire. I’m used to it now. He has a gun for every occasion. LOL. He has tried to get me to shoot but I don’t think that would be such a smart idea. I like my toes and I’m sure he likes his too.

Anyhow, he is going back to Afghanistan. He’s not enlisted this time but is working for a private company working Security that the Army has hired. He’s signed a year contract and will be providing security for very important people there. He’s going to be in a very dangerous position and is going willingly. He already dodged death the first time he was there when a grenade hit his motorcade but didn’t explode. This time he will willingly put himself between a bullet and somebody else.

How do you say goodbye to someone like that? What words do you use knowing that he may not return? I have known people who have been to war, but I didn’t know them until after they’d returned. I’ve never known anyone before they’ve left. I don’t like it, even with the fact I hardly know this person. But I know his grandparents and how hard this is on them. I know they are proud but at the same time, scared to death. I am too. I am always amazed at soldiers who have been to war, seen the horror, yet choose to go back. I'm amazed they go in the first place. They are special people and we have them to thank for our freedom.

So, I’m not sure what I’m going to say. Maybe I will just tell him that I will miss him knocking on my door and saying, “hey neighbor, can I borrow some butter?”

I will miss that.