Retirement?

There are some interesting aspects in the time of life known as retirement.  The young, not retired may see it as a life of total leisure. If you don’t have to get up and go through the morning ritual to make it to the job on time, you can just take your time. Dealing with the mail, tending the pets and a few tasks around the house shouldn’t be too stressful the un-retired would think. When one speaks to the retired, one of the topics that may arise is the fact that the retired have never been so busy.

I retired from the teaching profession at an early age because I could and was unhappy with some of the extra duties the board of education was imposing on teachers. After a couple of years as a substitute teacher I retired from that as well.  I could say that my teaching retirement was successful.

After helping found the Singing Boys of Sioux Falls and working with them for over twenty-five years I retired from that organization. That has been a successful retirement.

Last September I celebrated my thirty-seventh anniversary of ordination as a priest. I retired from my parish twelve years ago. This week I celebrated five Eucharists. Some would say that this churchly retirement is not particularly successful. I often times joke about it myself. The truth is that there are not many clergy around and the retired are often called upon to fill in, or as we say “supply.”

I’m not fond of traveling out of town to another church and worrying about arriving on time, etc. I used to do it without thinking but that has changed with advancing age and limited eyesight. Unless it is an unusual request my tasks for the church are in Sioux Falls. 

There is some comfort in supplying in places where you are known and you know most of the people.  When you’ve been around mostly for ever that is the case here. 

I do enjoy this part of my un-retirement.  One is freed from the administrative details and is simply the liturgist and preacher on any given day. And it does supply a need for community which any retired priest may tell you is the biggest gap in the life of said priest. When you have served a parish, have seen the children grow, have baptized, married and buried some, have shared joys and sorrows, and have looked forward to seeing the gathered congregation, especially on Sunday morning, there is a big gap in one’s life when all that is no longer a part of one’s being.

This week, aside from the churchly tasks, I returned to the Washington Pavilion for the docent meeting since I will begin working with children again this coming week.  I’d given that up because of the altered immune system during chemotherapy. As anyone who has spent time in the classroom knows groups of children are a massive petri dish of anything going around at any particular time. It will be good to return as a docent.  I really enjoy teaching and this is the best part of it because you don’t have to deal with paper work, discipline problems or any of the other tasks that may make teaching less than pleasant. One only has to teach! Beautiful.

My appointment with the ophthalmologist was on Thursday and he confirmed the fact that I have cataracts that need attention. The surgeries are scheduled for next month. It will be wonderful to see clearly again.  The doctor did assure me that I was a legal driver even with the cataracts.

The first week of Advent, of awaiting is over.  Sorry this blog is late for those who expect it at a certain time. I hope and pray your week is a blessing for you.