WHERE IS THE "GOOD" IN GOODBYE?

My job as Melissa's piano teacher is about to end. I know it sounds silly, but I believe I may cry when her lessons stop. I'm mighty misty-eyed just writing this blog.

She hasn't been practicing for quite some time, and I have mentioned this fact in some of my blogs. Last week I told my wife that it seems odd that she is still continuing her lessons. Peggy hit me in the gut by speaking the obvious to the oblivious. "Well, it's easy to see what's going on. She likes spending time with you."

I realized that I have not complained about her lack of practice because I like spending time with her. I like spending time with her a lot, but I am a teacher and I have to use my best professional judgement, so at the last lesson I brought up the unpleasant idea that maybe we should discontinue her piano lessons. She told me that she didn't want to stop the lessons because she enjoyed spending time with me. I told her that I should have dropped her as a student some time back, but I didn't say anything because I enjoyed spending time with her.

The idea of her quitting is out there, now........lying out there like a pig turd on a hot fudge sundae. I think her piano lessons are about to end.

Losing Melissa as a student reminds me of the lyrics of the barbershop quartet song from the Broadway musical and the movie, "The Music Man."

"How can there be any sin in sincere?
Where is the good in goodbye?"