HELLO!

I still run into people who ask me why I am not retired. It’s my fault. In 2023 I wrote a column letting people know I was planning to retire in 2025 https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/perspective-finding-purpose-joy-in-retirement-100893488 But I didn’t. I think you have heard me tell the story, I called the UCC Regional Office and asked for someone to educate me on how to retire. David arrived at my Bethany Office. He had no notes. He told me I was a fool to retire. I had lots of energy. I explained that my 35 years were up June 2025, I would be too old for any church to consider. David told me I was wrong. The rest is history.

Still, I turn 62 this fall. My father retired at 54, my mother-in-lawn at 53, my father-in-law at 55. One of my younger brothers is retired, another, seven years younger than me, plans to retire soon. The truth is, I love my work. I love being a minister (everything except the driving and the meetings). I love being a navigator. I love being the minister funeral homes call on to support grieving families who want a minister but have no church affiliation. But I have worked a long time, and the way I do my work leaves few hours for family and friends. Still, my friends worry I would be bored silly in retirement. What would I do? Without sounding too dire, I have followed ministers who died on the job. My mother was 66 when she died. Who says I will be alive much longer after turning 65?

I had a revelation of sorts last night. I remembered a quote from a baseball analyst, who was reflecting on why so many managers are former catchers. “They see the field in front of them. Everyone is in their vision.” As a former catcher, I resonated with this. Unlike a lot of people I know, “getting my way” has never been a priority for me. I have no “chip” on my shoulder, I have nothing to prove. What I love to do is watch/listen/learn about people and then fit them into a “line-up”, so they bring out the best in themselves, in each other. For me being a minister, being a navigator, being a funeral officiant, is not about giving people answers, being a teacher. Instead, I thrive on connecting what people share with me and weaving it into a pathway that sheds light, enhances joy, underscores meaning. Whatever I do when I retire, I want to keep doing this. I don’t need any props, visuals, technology, a budget, all I require is community, an authentic desire by people to know more about each other, about the Spirit that is animating their efforts.

Kevin “catcher/umpire/announcer” Little

PS Today at Margaret’s House Cathy asked if she could make me a beard. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1K6pHeQMMr/?mibextid=wwXIfr The guests had a great laugh. I love it when a community comes together.