Retirement

This has been a momentous week! It was John's last full week at Boeing as this Monday, June 30 caps the end of his 37 year career as an aerospace engineer. (It would have been 42 had he not taught for 5 years.) It is a bitter sweet retirement because John still loves his job and the engineers with whom he works. He says it has been an emotional week and that the closer retirement gets, the harder it is. In his humble way he has been telling me of emails he has received as his co-workers have learned of his retirement. He printed them off for me to read and all speak highly of him and regret his retirement. Some praise his integrity and express personal sadness at his leaving. In the providence of God it so happened that his old career and his new one overlapped this week. The Evangelical Free Church (EFC) held its national conference in St. Louis. John and I attended in the evenings and heard inspirational worship and preaching. As I observed John in that environment it was so obvious that his first love and the passion of his life is the Church. He will be volunteering his post retirement time as a church planter for the EFC and I can tell he can't wait to get started. Monday the in-town kids, grandkids, and I will go to Boeing for a low-key (at John's request) reception for John. Even 23 month old Annika will have a badge with her picture on it for the day. We are crazy excited about this event because John's place of work has always been a mystery to us. John is putting together a power point presentation of his Boeing career and the pictures of him in the 70's will be a hit, I'm sure. John expects to be very emotional and I suspect I may have to speak for him at some point. It is just amazing to have reached this phase of our lives. Retirement - for so long such a far off thing and now it is upon us. How wonderful for John to be leaving on a high note with accolades and praises, well earned, coming his way. To be retiring just because he wants to and because he feels God has laid upon his heart another calling. Well done, John. I look forward to this new phase of life with eagerness and enthusiasm. slmr