Retirement List of Things to Do

I am now into my third year of retirement.  My list of “things to do when I retire” was quite a long one.

1. Type all my husband’s sermons (from 30 years of ministry) and get them organized according to subject and/or scripture.  Check – done!
2. Organize all the pictures, school papers and drawings of my daughters that had been sitting in boxes for years.  Make scrapbooks for both of them telling the story of their childhood and sharing pictures and history of their parents and grandparents also.  Check – done!
3. Organize and make a listing of my large collection of historical biographies that I have collected over the years.  Also go through my books that I used in my teaching ministry and keep only a few that I really, really enjoy passing on the others.  Check – done!
4. Downsize (which means get rid of) some of the “stuff” I have accumulated over the years.  Check – done!
5. Began a genealogy study of my family.  Starting this month on this!

Getting rid of “stuff” is not always easy!

In line with number 4, today I did a very painful, but needful thing.  I threw away my files and files of study notes from 35 years of teaching the Bible.  I have taught all ages from preschool to adults.  I have taught on all the books of the Bible and on numerous topics involving the Bible.

It was hard to throw the notes away.  I thought:

• I should pass them onto my children or other teachers.  (But no, they were “my” thoughts, “my” studies.  If someone else wants to study the Bible, they need to dig into the Word for themselves, to discover the truths hidden there afresh for themselves.)
• What if I need to teach again?  (Facing reality, at my age, there will not be many calls for me to teach.  And if I should teach again, I need to study anew and not just regurgitate ideas, thoughts from past studies.)

Still, it has been a somber time for me as I looked though the notes, read some and then put them in a recycle bin.  Hard to accept that the role of teacher is over.  Yet – my age and health tell me the time has come to surrender that role.  It’s not completely over, for I will hopefully be a teacher until the day I die — teaching my children and grandchildren by my example and sharing my love of God and His Word as opportunities arise.  But the days of formal teaching are behind me now.

Another stage in life is gone!

But all is good!  I continue to study my Bible and make new notes just for myself.  It’s kind of nice to “start anew” and hopefully I will learn even more.

I’m never too old to learn!