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The Reluctant Retiree

Posted in Choices, Daily Life, Discipleship, Discipline, Friendship, guidance, Life Balance, Marriage, Motorcycling, New Year, relationships, Retirement, Schedules, Seasons, Spiritual Maturity, The Christian Life, tagged , , , , , on March 10, 2023| 3 Comments »

I did it – kind of. I semi-retired from my position as HR Director of a 150 employee company. Hands down, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I loved every minute of that job. Not once did I wake up and not want to go to work. But it was time. My family said it was time. And after a serious motorcycle accident 6 months prior, my body said it was time.

I have kept my hand in the pot by agreeing to work from home part time. This has been a life saver, keeping me in contact with co-workers and my boss who ranks at the top for great bosses. It has allowed me to stay abreast of what’s happening with the company because I still feel ownership and I care about where it’s going.

I’m two months into this new venture and it most certainly has its pros and cons. For instance: Many would count this a pro – there is no need to rise early, shower, get presentable and head for work. On the other hand – my body is ready to go somewhere by 5:00 a.m. So I rise early, shower, get presentable and head for the gym thereby filling up the first couple of hours of my day.

Another pro – I now have time to attack some of those cleaning and organizing and downsizing projects that have piled up over the past years. On the other hand – I am daunted by just how many and how exhausting those projects are. Doesn’t help that we’ve lived our entire married life (56 years) in the same house so the accumulation of “stuff” is overwhelming.

I am now able to spend many more hours in the company of my spouse of 56 years which falls on the pro side. The con side – I am now able to spend many more hours in the company of my spouse of 56 years. Learning to live together again is definitely a challenge.

I have a lot more free time on my hands which is nice when it comes to lunch with friends, quilting, reading, etc. However, I feel a bit frivolous when my time isn’t filled with meaningful work.

I miss my business wardrobe including cute, high heeled shoes. I’m learning casual and comfortable. I miss the social interaction that took place in an open door office with a steady stream of interruptions. You can’t spend the whole day, every day over coffee with friends.

I love that I can spend time with older friends who need my company and my help, be it running errands or fixing meals, or just visiting. There is no con to this – it is rewarding, enriching and enjoyable. And there is no limit to lonely people out there.

I’m a goal setter, always have been. Over my career years many of those goals have been job related. My goal for the next couple of months – set goals that aren’t job related. I’m determined to write more, read more, learn more, volunteer more and do more things that are enjoyable and not feel guilty.

God has been good in allowing us to prepare for these years financially. I know that He will be faithful in helping us adjust to the changes.

In case you are wondering, I did my due diligence and looked up Bible verses about retirement so I could make sure I was scripturally on point. However, “Gray hair is a crown of glory” (Proverbs 16:31) and “the glory of young men is their strength, and gray hair the splendor of the old” (Proverbs 20:29) didn’t thrill me. I was a bit more encouraged by  Isaiah 46:4-5 “… even until your old age, I am the one, and I’ll carry you even until your gray hairs come.” Still – not quite what I was hoping for.

So, I have decided to make Phillipians 3:13-14 my retirement verse: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.“

I wouldn’t call myself a retirement expert yet. But I’m hoping to get there. I may not have a full time job but I have energy, drive and joy to keep me going. And for that I am eternally grateful.

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Paying it Forward

Posted in Bethlehem, Bible Study, Burdens, Children, Choices, Christmas, Conflict, Daily Life, Friendship, guidance, Life Balance, Miracles, New Year Resolutions, Outreach, Prayer, relationships, salvation, Schedules, Shopping, Spiritual Maturity, The Christian Life, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »

bth_MarywithBabyJesus[1]It’s 4:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve and I never expected to be so heavy on this day with the things that are weighing on my heart. I’m not the only one I know. So many are facing much greater burdens and much greater life challenges. This season of joy and love and peace doesn’t always live up to it’s reputation, does it?

Well – actually it does. The TV specials are sparkly and white and soft and beautiful. We are led to believe that for Christmas to be Christmas we need the perfect outfit, the perfectly decorated tree, the perfectly wrapped gifts and the perfect loving family around the table. But today I’m realizing again that although the birth of Christ was the climax of that Bethlehem night, there are so many subtle lessons surrounding the momentous event.

Stress, worry, pain, shock, disappointment, confusion – all the things we live with today were in existence then. I would guess that a few sharp words may have been exchanged between Mary and Joseph along their journey, brought on by exhaustion and the weight of responsibility. Stress does that to us – brings out the irritation in our voice, the too quick answer, the sharp word.

I suspect that as Mary and Joseph made their way through the streets of the city on their way to the stable they fought crowds that had flooded the city. You can’t tell me the merchants didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to expand their line of products and overflow their streetside stalls. To purchase a simple meal Joseph would have had to stand in a long line, with impatient shoppers,  wailing children, tired, cranky clerks. Been there?

And as gentle as Mary appears in scripture, there is no way she didn’t crinkle her nose and give Joseph that “You’ve got to be kidding me” look when they entered the barn. Eating isn’t the only thing animals do in a barn, people!

God sent His Son in an ordinary way because He wanted ordinary people to be able to relate and accept this incredible gift. He wanted the poorest to know poverty doesn’t keep us from Him. He wanted the rich to know you must bow not buy your way to Him. He wanted the clean freaks to know even filth and unpleasant smells can’t keep Him away. He wanted the simple to know it’s not complicated, and the wise to know it doesn’t take a masters degree to find Him.

And the gifts – if you are anything like me, you have been wracking your brain, scouring the stores, scanning the internet trying to find the right one for each person on your list. I know Christmas isn’t about the gifts – but then again, it is. If I stopped shopping and tried to explain to my family from the 5 year old on up that I didn’t do gifts this year because Christmas is about the birth of Christ – I don’t think that would go over well. They know that but it doesn’t mean they are willing to give up gift giving.

So how can we take all of the not so wonderful things of Christmas and make them a part of the wonder, the miracle and the message? Here’s what I’m trying to do.

First, I’m taking my burdens, stress. irritations, frustrations and worry and I’m putting them in a gift box lined with prayer as tissue paper. I’m not skimping on the tissue paper either. I’m stuffing that box full until it pretty much overflows. Tissue paper is cheap. Prayer costs even less. 

Next, I’m putting the lid on that box because I know if I don’t I’ll be reaching in and taking those burdens out again and again to rearrange and ponder and carry them around for a while before putting them back. I’m taping the lid down so it won’t come off.

Then I’m pulling out the most beautiful wrapping paper I can find and covering that box with it because I want it to be visibly worthy of laying at the feet of Jesus. I want Him to know I’m serious about handing it over.

And the next thing I’m doing, after I walk away from the box, is pulling out every bit of kindness and gentleness and generosity I can find in my clothes closet and that’s the outfit I’m wearing today and tomorrow and hopefully beyond this weekend so I can bring the missing joy, peace and love to those around me.

Because I’m learning the lesson of Christmas.  God knows the pressure. He is aware of the demands on my time. He understands the things that make my heart heavy and my tears flow. But He set the Star of Bethlehem in the sky to show me the way to the Son of God in the manger and allow me to discover the truth of Christmas. 

It’s putting my trust in the Baby who became the Savior,

so I could travel from the Manger to the Cross,

and let Him come from Heaven to my Heart,

to make peace where there is none, to bring joy where there is sadness, and to give hope when things appear bleak. He gave Himself to me and I’m paying it forward.

Praying a beautiful Christmas for all of you.

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Back in Biker Mode

Posted in Bible Study, Children, Choices, Creation, Daily Life, Death, dog, Friendship, Life Balance, Marriage, Motorcycling, Schedules, The Christian Life, Work life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »

OGIO-motorcycle-rides[1]First motorcycle outing of the year on Saturday and it was glorious. We managed to sandwich the ride in between rainstorms. The sun was out in full force, warming the air to a brisk 50 degrees when we took off. Of course, I had my miracle jacket on high so I was toasty. Bald eagles, deer and mountain sheep were all out in force taking advantage of the weather just like us.

After the long winter break, I kind of have to get back in biker mode and it takes a while. Remembering all the parts and pieces of being comfortable – the silk scarf, the hair pulled back and secured so it doesn’t tangle in the wind, the right gloves for the cool weather, the leathers and of course, the connector cord for my heated jacket.

But the biggest “Oh yeah” for me is the sense of power that radiates from that huge hunk of chrome and metal. The bike roars to life and I find myself grabbing tightly to my guy, taking a big breath and anticipating the soaring sensation that will come as we hit the highway.

And then there’s that lung-filling fresh air after being huddled inside all winter. The great feel of sunshine on my cheeks. Sky so blue it hurts your eyes. And the hope and promise singing from the trees that are covered with spring buds ready to burst into leafy glory. The peach fuzz covering of green on the hills that have been soaking up the rain. The rush of the river pushing at its banks, swollen from the spring thaw.

And so precious, sipping coffee and eating fresh baked pastries with my husband at the old bakery that is a favorite stop of ours. It’s rare, this relaxing, quiet time together – actually having a real conversation, uninterrupted by phones, grandkids, jobs, errands, and the over-zealous dog.

Sometimes I chaff at having to devote every good-weather Saturday to time on the motorcycle. There are many other things I love to do and can only fit into a Saturday. But I have to admit that once we’re on the road, I forget to wish I was elsewhere because I’m so loving being where I am.

Isn’t that just the way in this crazy busy life of ours? Our list is long, our time short. We have to double and triple book to get it all in and half the time we are too exhausted to actually enjoy ourselves. We don’t prioritize according to what we need, we scramble our schedules because of what we want.

Much as I hate to admit it, I need those kicked back Saturdays on the back of the bike, breathing deep, taking in the sights, and being close to my life partner. It brings balance and sanity to my otherwise topsy turvy world.

Life balance is key if we are to negotiate the journey from birth to death with any kind of success and satisfaction. And balance is not what the enemy wants for us. He will always introduce too many choices to keep us from being focused. He will paint unrealistic pictures of the things we desire and then try to convince us we deserve them, we need them, and we should go for them to the detriment of more important, less glittering activities.

Just as that first few minutes on the bike remind me of the power and pure enjoyment I will soon experience, the first few minutes in God’s word reminds of the same thing. His word is rich, bursting with wise instruction, filled with peace and hope. It is solid and sure, and satisfying to my mind, my heart and my soul.

I need those times of breathing deep and drawing close to the One who gives me breath.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Or as the message translation puts it, “I have told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”

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