Airport Farewells

This morning I found myself at the airport at an early, but not unusual hour. I thread my way through throngs of people standing in holiday season sized lines, waiting patiently for the next available ticket agent. Scanning the faces I find the three passengers that I am looking for. Today, the passengers I am looking for are not my own, in fact I am not flying this morning. This morning I have come to say goodbye. This year I was fortunate to have my family in Edmonton for Christmas and as anyone who lives a distance away from home surely knows, there is no greater gift than to have your family close for the holidays. Unfortunately just as the holidays had come and gone far too quickly, so too was their visit coming to a close.
In the eight years that I have called Edmonton home and the handful of visits that I have had with my family since moving, the goodbyes have become easier, albeit only slightly. Upon arriving at the beginning of the security line, the inevitable is upon us, and our goodbyes follow the pattern set by our previous goodbyes; First Mom will begin to cry, and as she does my Sister and I will laugh quietly to each other, partly because Mom always does this, and partly because if we didn't we would likely break down ourselves. Next I hug Mom and reassure her that I'll see her again soon enough, then I hug Sis, and finally shake Dad's hand. With our goodbye ritual complete, they enter the queue, and slowly shuffle their way towards the security gate. I stand there for sometime, periodically spotting my Dad's head above the crowd. Once through security, they wave one final time and disappear around the corner towards their gate. I cast my eyes up towards the ceiling and swallow hard, trying to suppress the lump in my throat.
As I walk out to my car I see a family welcoming what looks to be their daughter with open arms. I smile. They say that for every hello said at an airport, there is a goodbye that is being spoke to counter it. Today, I look forward to the day where the welcoming and farewells that I share with my family will not be so far between.