Reframing the Goodbye (Monday Moment ep. 805)

Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

John O'Leary

Self-improvement, Bestsellingauthor, Education, Dailyinspiration, Society & Culture, Liveinspired, Johnoleary, Inspiration, Joebuck, Inspiredliving, Onfire, Relationships

4.9 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2025

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As we step into a new school year, many of us are in a season of transition. Sending little ones off to kindergarten, big kids off to high school, and young adults off to college means a time filled with backpacks, checklists, early bedtimes and busy mornings. It also means waving goodbye not just to the kids as they leave the house, but chapters of life that will never return.

Last summer around this time, I was struggling mightily. In the span of about a week, a dear friend passed away, my father’s health declined significantly, and we packed up my oldest son, Jack, to head off to college out of state. Everything around me felt chaotic and unmoored. A chapter I had loved living was ending and a new one was beginning. The sadness lingered long after leaving my friend’s wake, visiting Dad at the hospital or driving away from the dorm where Jack now lived.

This year as we grieve the loss of my dad and prepare to send Jack back to college, two more boys into high school, and my daughter Grace into her final year of middle school, I’m trying something different to help me cope: I’m reframing the goodbye.

Let me explain.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, hello, my friends and welcome to the Live Inspired podcast Monday morning moments with John O'Leary.
0:20.4	In today's episode, we celebrate reframing the
0:23.6	goodbye, how to honor the past, embrace the present, and step boldly into what's next. So how do we do it?
0:31.0	Well, let's talk about it. As we step into a new school year, many of us are in a season of transition.
0:37.3	Sitting little ones off to kindergarten,
0:38.7	big ones off to high school, and young adults off to college means a time filled with backpacks,
0:45.0	checklists, early bedtimes, and busy mornings. It also means waving goodbye not just to the kids as they
0:52.2	leave the house, but to chapters of life that will never again
0:56.3	return. Last summer, around this time, I was struggling mightily. In the span of about a week,
1:03.6	a dear friend I've talked about him in the past John Rulin passed away. My father's health declined
1:09.0	rapidly, and we packed up my oldest son, Jack, to head off to
1:13.8	college out of state. Everything around me felt chaotic and unmoored. A chapter I had loved living
1:21.5	was ending, and a new one, what I wasn't ready for, was beginning. The sadness lingered long after leaving my
1:30.0	friends wake, visiting my dad in the hospital, or driving away from Jack's dorm room. This year,
1:37.6	as we grieve the loss of my dad and prepare to send Jack back to college. Two more boys move
1:43.6	on to high school and my daughter Grace into her final year of middle school.
1:47.2	I'm trying something different to help me cope.
1:50.3	I'm reframing the goodbye.
1:52.6	I'm reframing it.
1:54.0	Instead of seeing these next steps as closing something beautiful,
1:59.3	I'm choosing to view every precious chapter as gifts preparing us
2:03.4	for this moment. I'm choosing to recognize that losing loved ones and launching little ones
	...

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