but goodbye just the same

It seems that all good things must come to an end.

To everything there is a season, and apparently my winter is here.

Although I will still be close at hand, this is to be my last column for The Messenger.

Now I must go about trying to express to all of you how important my time has been here and how all of you have had a great impact on me and in my life.

There just aren’t enough words to express my gratitude for the welcome you have given me. You welcomed me into your homes and your businesses and made me a part of your lives just as I made you part of mine.

How do I tell you how wonderful it made me feel when you would come up to me and mention something about my last article? I try to pass on the many smiles given to me so freely. You truly never know how something so small can have such a big effect on people. I have truly been blessed.

I have been lucky to be able to share my beliefs, opinions and life happenings in such a medium as this. I hope that maybe I have been able to touch your soul in a special way, and maybe you learned something fom me like I have learned so much from you.

It seems that love and romance just aren’t newsworthy anymore. I wish I could write a newsletter and continue to write about the saga of Amanda and her life, but alas, it is not meant to be.

I wish that I could tell you how wonderful the wedding was, how beautiful everything was and how I felt so loved on that day.

I wish that I could write about why certain things in life are so important and the rest is just small potatoes.

I wish I could continue to write about what I have learned from life experiences.

Maybe one day I will. I believe I have several books in me just waiting to be written. Maybe this will get me off my keister to doing just that.

Please don’t forget about me. Please pray for me often. When you see someone feeling down, think of me and give them a hug and a smile in the name of love.

And most of all, please remember that there truly is a reason and a purpose for everything.

Amanda R Bradley can be e-mailed at snflwr3@hotmail.com.