The Final Chapter

Today I said goodbye to Tiny Village. I was delighted by the people who made a special effort to be there-- one older gentleman who grew up in the church drove 2 hours to be there for today. He doesn't come this way much, as his health has faded. He's a retired pastor, and has always been supportive of my ministry. One woman who I felt had been avoiding me since the announcement of my departure came to find me after worship. She fell into my arms crying, "What am I going to do without you?" I had suspected she was upset by the news of my departure.

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There was a poem, and memories shared, a beautiful cake, and lots of hugs. I did pretty well, though one song they sang for me was hard:

Daughter did well. It was an emotional day for her, too. There were lots of children there today. I baptized many of them. The wife of one man told me he said goodbye, but couldn't handle telling me personally. He was too emotional. I understand.

Sister and Short Niece were great company. Sister insisted on driving both ways-- she doesn't believe in following the speed limit like I do. I told her to slow down several times, but it was nice to let someone else do the driving.

Kitten was glad to see us when we got home. She is using the litter box all the time now-- for the first time ever. The litter box is in a back corner of the basement, so I don't have litter tracked all over the house.

I know this is disjointed. I'm tired. Daughter is asleep on the couch beside me. Tomorrow morning we'll finally get phone/internet/TV hooked up. Then we'll need to sit down and begin to figure out a schedule for the rest of the week. There is much to do. I'm feeling pretty good about the progress we've made on the house. There's much more to do, but it feels manageable now.