Have you ever experienced saying good-bye to your loved ones. They can be your parents, kids, siblings, or friends. Farewell does not mean they are leaving this world, it can mean relational disconnection either temporarily or for good! It is a very hard process, one part of you is willingly doing it; however, the other part still yearns for her/him. No matter how many times and for how long you justify your action of saying your farewells, you are not yet free of guilt and/or regrets. Same situation has happened to me when I left the country. Although it was the utmost opportunity for me, I could not fathom the impact of my wish: Leaving my only parent-my mother. Three months before my father passed away, he became seriously ill, had two stokes and as a result he was immobile. I became everyone to my mother: confidant, helper, and financial decision maker. When the night of my departure came, I tried to avoid thinking of what could happen to her when I was gone until 3 months after my arrival. It was only then that I realized that although it was my decision to leave the country for my own sake, I had sacrificed that much including seeing her disappointed look! It too me a long time, 7 years, to get where I am now: through therapy and being in the counseling field. It took me that much time to process and get to know a better Azadeh! It has been 5 years that I am working on real me, still, there are times that my tears overwhelms me (just like right now)when I remember my last “good-bye” to my beloved mother.
