Day 6 - 159 -- Ending Parting Goodbye

Another day started early. The group presentation went very well, followed by many stories and comments from audience members. After the final plenary, the conference was over. I said farewell to many longtime friends and some new acquaintances. A smaller group went on tours of the new Senate building (from a different perspective than my visit earlier in the week) and the newly constructed House of Commons. Each of these buildings is temporary, albeit for 10-15 years. During this time the centre block of the parliament buildings will undergo a major refurbishment. The House was built where a courtyard sat. The new construction has glass coverings to allow in natural light and maintain a bit of the courtyard feeling. Stone walls of the adjacent building are visible, which adds to the architectural interest of the House. We also visited the Memorial Hall, relocated from the Peace Tower. This houses the books of remembrance listing military personnel who died in conflicts and peace keeping missions from recent deployments back to the War of 1812 and earlier. The sun was quite hot by later in the afternoon. In the evening I spent time with my cousins for a visit and a great barbecue supper. It was great to spend time with them and the two dogs and two cats. I could hardly remain awake -- the week took a lot of physical and emotional energy.

Saying goodbye can be so difficult, even when you know you will be in touch with people soon. I'm not good at endings, and big events make this even more difficult. I hope to be at conference next year and see many there again. Others I will be in contact over the next year to do research projects, writing and planning for future conferences. That does help somewhat. Being in contact with many via social media can reduce the feeling of being separate -- similar but different from being face to face. Packing today meant I was heading home. I'm ready to be back in my own space and my own bed. So, it is not all bad.

One song stuck in my head today. Italian lyrics cover the emotions of parting. The singer possesses a truly amazing voice -- even with age it remains stunning. Enjoy!

Con Te Partirò -- Andrea Bocelli