The lunch crowd was delightful and there were many Face Book friends taking advantage of the FB-Special of the day.
Having received a message from Elizabeth on Thursday that she wanted to have dinner tonight, I made reservations and we had our usual Friday menu - Alaskan King Crab Legs and Golden Margaritas. I immediately noticed her buoyant attitude and relaxed countenance as I learned that Sunday will be her final sermon, service, and 75th Baptism at St. Paul's. She's going out on a high and positive note and wanted to dine early so she had the rest of the evening to fine tune this last sermon saying 'goodbye' to the parishioners of all stripes - those who supported her and those who made her life a living hell these past 8 years.
She's going out on her terms and as she spoke she oozed positive energy for what is to come. There is no way that energy will be lost on those in attendance on Sunday morning. The business of "the Church" can be very ugly and the past couple of years have sapped most of the boundless energy and excitement for her work. Comparisons were made between my battles with the medical establishment and her's with an un-cooperative, even hostile Vestry. Then we laughed at it all looking to the future, relegating the past to just that - the past.
We acknowledged that over the last 3 years we have come to understand that we are stronger than we ever thought possible. We are healthier than we were three years ago; we have learned much about ourselves and how to move on without the baggage of the past weighing us down. It isn't easy, but we've done it and continue to (it's an ongoing process) make each day better as we move on.
I feel extra specially blessed tonight. I go to bed with the lightness of those blessings in my heart and an attitude of total gratitude on my soul.
May it be so for you as well.
And so it goes.
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I would wish your friend well in her new endeavors!
ReplyDeleteAmen and......AMEN! :)
ReplyDelete