Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Monday, June 27, 2016
Helping a Friend Sort and Pack
Moving is a challenge. Cross-country moving is even more of a challenge.
My spiritual director is preparing to leave town, move to the East Coast, and change positions in her place of employment. The most poignant part for me is that she is permanently relocating to her new city. She has been a steady and stable part of my life for the past ten years. (Actually, she has lived here in Chicago for decades. I have known her for quite a while. She has been my spiritual director for ten years.)
When I think of Jay, I think steady. Stable. Thoughtful. Even keel. Soft spoken. Communicating carefully selected wise words. Just what I need, so much of the time. However, I am afraid I was not the best or most responsive direct-ee. I am afraid I did not always pray for Jay the way she prayed for me. (Thanks for the many, many prayers, for me and my family.)(True confession: I am sad and sorry to say I still do not pray for Jay as often as I ought. However, God and I are still in the middle of an extended conversation about prayer, and how I pray, and how often. The conversation has been lasting for years.)
Two more friends were helping Jay sort and pack her office. A wonderful older couple, well-versed in the way of assisting friends and colleagues with packing, moving, and making transitions to a new and different place. New way of living and being. (I’ve known them for years, too.)
I will sincerely miss Jay. What’s more, she will be greatly missed by many, many people in the Chicago area. Such a bittersweet time for me, helping her get ready to move. To begin again, to begin in a different location, begin in a new position. New beginnings after decades in the same place. Exciting new possibilities! I am sad for myself, yet excited for her. Truly.
Good-bye, friend. God’s blessings, and all the best.
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