Devlin was having me button the vest from his Christmas clothes when he told me he was going to work. He likes to put on dress clothes like daddy used to and pretend he’s going to some really fantastic job. I pulled him into a hug and he asked me what I was doing. I said, “You always hug the ones you love before you leave the house.” I went on to tell him how his daddy didn’t leave the house before he kissed me goodbye, even if I was sleeping.

It triggered a memory of a camping trip in 2001 with Paul’s family. He went fishing with his dad and I was very upset because it was the one and ONLY time he left me that he didn’t kiss me. His family could not understand why it upset me so much. I was told it was just a kiss and not that big of a deal. In hind sight, it was a VERY big deal. You never know when that last kiss goodbye might be the last. He could of been in a car wreck and I would of lived the rest of my life knowing I didn’t get a kiss goodbye. Now I live the rest of my life knowing that we kissed and held each other tight and let each other know how much we loved each other and that we would miss each other. He told me to stay strong and I told him to stay safe and then he hugged and kissed each of the children and gave me one last kiss before walking to the door to the ramp. He paused just for a few seconds before walking through the door and flashed me a smile with a sadness behind the twinkle in his eye and waved at us. I watched as he passed by the window at the end of the ramp and my heart broke and my eyes filled with tears when he stepped on that plane. We were separated and a part of me knew… how important that kiss was before we said goodbye.

So if you think it’s “just a kiss” and it’s “no big deal” if you forget to kiss your spouse or significant other or to hug and kiss your kids, think again and remember that it could be your last.

Artist: Vince Gill
Song: Let’s Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye

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