SAUCIER — Signing off

I received a note from a friend the other day. In what we learned as the “complimentary close” back when letters were a thing, she wrote “Peace and All Good.”

This hearkens back to St. Francis of Assisi, who would often begin and end his sermons with the Latin counterpart, “Pax et bonum.”

Her “Peace and All Good” felt intentional and authentic when so many messages end with a rushed “See ya’ later,” or “Gotta’ run.” You get the sense that writer is already out the door or on to something else.

It’s even worse in text messages where, if there is any sign-off at all, it’s some acronym like “G2G” (Gotta go) or “TTYL” (Talk to you later).

Cryptic or cute, they seem more an announcement that the conversation is over rather than any well-meaning farewell.

Quick and contracted seems to be the rule. On the phone, we often use “Bye. But, “bye” is short for “goodbye,” which in turn is a shortened form of the original “God be with you.”

We see this in other languages as well. The Spanish “Adios” was once “A Dios,” (“To God.”) This is an abbreviation of the blessing “Te encomiendo a Dios,” which means entrusting someone to God’s protection.

My go-to starter in Wordle is adieu. This vowel-dense French farewell was once “a Dieu” and found its origin in the Latin “ad Deum” which, from funerals to farewells, was a way of putting the other under God’s protection.

We find common parting phrases with spiritual roots in other cultures and traditions.

In Farsi, they say, “Khuda Hafiz,” “May God be your guardian.”

Many Jews pray “Shalom aleichem,” “May peace be with you,” with the understanding that God is the source of that peace.

In India, “Namaste” acknowledges both a spiritual bond and the divine in others.

No doubt the “Asalamu alaikum” of the Muslims or the “Amituofo” of Buddhists, like all these phrases, no longer has the sense of blessing it once had and today means little more than our own “goodbye.”

I don’t think we need to ask God to be with anyone. I suspect that is part of the divine routine, and no reminder on our part is necessary.

However, mindfully using one of these departing blessings every once in a while might remind us that our lives are a gift, care for others is our call, and gratitude is our way.

Pax et Bonum!