Yesterday was my first day of retirement. After years in private industry and the last fourteen as a called Lutheran Pastor to Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, I have retired to the front porch - at least for now. For months people asked me what I was going to do, where I was going to go, and my most common answer was - HOME. For years my wife and I have talked about what retirement was going to be like for us, and mostly we looked forward to just staying home and over-dosing on our many hobbies. When my wife and I moved to North Carolina from Maine so that I could attend Duke Divinity School, I put a lot of my life on hold. One of my passions had been drawing and painting; but I have not touched a brush for twenty years. Now I know pastors who can do all sorts of things and still do the work of God, but I never seemed to have the time. There always seemed to be something to plan or do. Personal quality time was put on the back burner. Now I plan on digging out my brushes, paints and color pencils and recording the beauty of God's creation on paper and canvas.
I also plan on doing volunteer work in the community. I have signed up with the Society of Saint Andrew, one of America's premier food rescue and distribution ministries. I will be getting back to my farming roots, because I have signed on to help glean the farms in the neighboring communities. Last year they gleaned more than 5 million pounds of food in North Carolina. Their big event is the annual North Carolina Yam Jam on October 20th. Our weather is so fair here in the south that they glean all year round. There is always something that can be harvested. With monetary donations drying up to food banks, the need is even greater this year. It just seems such a waste of God's bountiful blessings of food to let this gift rot in the fields while people starve.
I also plan to write some at least on this blog. It will track my new journey that God has set before me.
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