It is drizzling outside. The sky a gentle shade of delicate grey, a soft sheet of comfort.

The rain drums softly against the roof of my house, like sweet music coursing through my heart...

A small pile of letters sit on my table, my Enrolment present from last year is slumped sadly over a stack of books. It is brooding over the title 'Steppenwolf', and periodically sighs moodily.

Yes. The Secondary Four Farewell has just passed. The inevitable, albeit rather heart-wrenching event that we must all go through.

The letters are regarding their receipient silently, reminding me of all the acts of kindess that the Sec 4s have ever shown me. Yes, I will miss them, but I will not cry hysterically when they finally leave. If I were to go about this issue in a pragmatic manner, I would say that the Sec 4s have to leave. They must. People are always leaving, always on the move. It's how the world as a whole progresses and moves on.

One cannot simply stop Time and order the Sec 4s to stay where they are, because, even if this was possible, they would not want to stay behind. There's a whole new world to explore out there, just waiting for them to enter it. Even if you were to put a person in a room with all his favourite people in it, he would not want to remain there for the rest of his life. This is because he would look out of the window and wonder what the others were doing now, he would want to leave and go on.

We are always moving, always changing, always adapting. It's only natural for us; this instinct to want to move on and improve. We cannot wait forever. If we did, society would be stagnant, nothing would move, we would degenerate.

People do change. Yes, I'll grant you that. And friendships may be broken, or, relationships changed. Humans are unpredictable; you can never tell what it is they'll do tomorrow. People who are friends today may become enemies or strangers in a matter of weeks.

And thus, it's only normal for us to want the Sec 4s to stay that little bit longer, so that we can stretch the time that we have left together, but they have to move on too.

It's their turn to start on their paths and spread their own wings.

So, instead of watching them leave with regret, and thinking that you could have done this with them, or might have accomplished that with them, why don't we cherish the time that we have together now? Instead of wallowing in pity and hurt after they leave, we can remember all the good times we had together with them, and be content with our world now, not fill our minds with what-might-have-beens and misery.

Yes. The Sec 4s are leaving. The Farewell today just made it more real. Yes, I'll miss them, but, for once, instead of crying and complaining, let's just wish them Godspeed on their journey into uncharted waters.

Counting down they days left on the calendar.

watching the days and weeks slide by,

Birds take flight outside my window,

reminding me of the day that is to come,

when you must all leave,

on your own maiden journey.

I'll cherish all the seeds you have left behind,

I'll hold the memories close to my heart

and one day,

when you return triumphant,

flowers wull greet your eyes.

Though you hav gone,

left, departed,

the imprint you have left on our hearts will stay forever.

--By Yue Lin, 'Godspeed, Dear Friends.'

And the rain keeps falling outside my window, caressing every golden seed you have left behind....

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