The last goodbye

It was a quiet afternoon. I fueled the Navajo after its last flight to prepare it for the next day's adventure. A single 150 made laps around the pattern, some touch downs worse than others as a student learned the art of landing smoothly.

Though the afternoon seemed routine, the events earlier that day were anything but normal. We had a charter scheduled to a village out the chain. On the schedule written next to the number traveling was "+stretcher." Now, keep in mind that we get some pretty crazy things in the back of that plane. From 500 pound outboard motors to refrigerators to living room furniture, we load anything into that plane that people want to move.

But this one was different. A woman. A mother, sister, daughter, grandmother. She was returning to her home for the last part of her life. I could feel the pain in the air as the family bid a final farewell to this loved one.

After watching the family, I couldn't help but keep this song on repeat in my head for most of the day:

Yesterday we were laughing
Today I'm left here asking
Where has all the time gone now
I'm left alone somehow
Growing up and getting older
I don't want to believe it's over

Don't say goodbye