Goodbyes
(This week's Sunday Scribblings prompt is Goodbyes)
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The other day I was wondering where the word 'goodbye' came from. When I looked it up, I found out that it's derived from: God be with ye. Over time the phrase was shortened to God b'ye ... which eventually became Goodbye ... then simply Bye.
But when we say 'goodbye' to someone, do we really think of it or mean it to be 'God be with you'? Similarly, when we say 'Good morning' or 'good evening' or 'good night' are we actually telling people to have a good morning/evening/night? I think these have just become habitual or polite sayings which have lost their deeper meaning.
What will be different (for the sayer and the receiver) if we part with God be with you instead of just 'goodbye' or 'bye'?
Labels: sunday scribblings
posted by Elspeth at Friday, February 02, 2007
13 Comments:
I never knew that! How lovely. God be with you Elspeth. :)
How do we decide? Are we inclined to know the difference between Goodbye and Bye?
I would like to think that I have learned through life experiences, when to say, "Goodbye" and "Bye".
Casual or not; it's the little idiosyncrasies that we remember in the end.
I think the older I get, the more the goodbye's I have to say really do mean God be with you...
Thanks for sharing this, Elspeth!
I didn't know that either. Thanks! you just made saying "good bye" easier for me. God be with you too!
You learn something new everyday. Thanks for sharing:)
I really liked this! Now I understand each time I say good-bye or something similiar I'm saying a little prayer for the person!
Wow, I never knew that! Thanks for sharing that information with us. Knowing that can turn something sad into something loving and hopeful!
I had read that and forgotten about it. Thanks for telling us!
Thanks for sharing that! It's a good way to think of goodbyes.
Like Gautami I think I already knew that but had forgotten. Thanks for the reminder.
I don't know what would be different but it will be fun finding out. Next time I'll say "God be with you".
Add me to the list of folks who had forgotten about that. Interesting take on this prompt. Would it be different? I'm going to be thinking about that for awhile.
That's an intriguing discussion - it seems to me that saying "God Be With You" could at times feel heavier and at times feel lighter than saying "Goodbye". Quite a point to ponder...
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