Category: Fundamentals

In last week’s post we overlapped two elements of Easin’ Along – Food and Fun with Friends – and this week we are going to overlap two more – Faith and Family. I have to admit that it’s been an active week and this post has been pounded out in something of a hurry.  I apologize if it seems less than my best effort, but this is still a labor of love in that I get to share what is important with people who are important.

Helen and I were in the great city of Charleston, SC to visit our son and his family and celebrate an early Christmas because they would be traveling on Christmas Day to visit our daughter-in-law’s family…yes, Christmas is a busy time of the year.

Because Christmas can get overwhelming at times, we were determined to have a relaxed weekend and spend some time with our precious granddaughters as well as spend some time observing the reason for the season.

We arrived on Friday evening and had a casual dinner with everyone.  Our hosts had just moved into a new home. Everything was still in a state of flux, but they had done a great job of getting organized in time to decorate a tree and make sure that the children had a place to play and that their lives were as normal as possible.  We made a dinner out of the sour cream enchiladas that Helen had made and brought with us in the cooler…delicious.

On Saturday morning I met with an expert on Case pocketknives to get an appraisal of my knife collection (more in a later post) while Helen and the family went to a performance of “Best Christmas Pageant Ever” at the historic Dock Street Theater (built 1736).  We met at the Variety Store restaurant at the Charleston Marina. All agreed that the play was the best Christmas pageant…ever!

After we ordered from the menu, our oldest granddaughter, Bennett, sat quietly and colored on the drawings provided by the restaurant.  This is a beautiful girl and she really loves to color.  I was impressed with how much she was into her artistic endeavor.  Our other granddaughter, Cason, spent her time going from parent to grandparent and back again.  She is the busiest one in the family.

Lunch was served and I won as far as selection was concerned with a delightful dish of Blackened halibut resting on a bowl of Gumbo.  It was splendid.

That evening we sat around the tree and opened family Christmas gifts.  Our son had moved his IMac computer into the living room so that we could be joined by our other son’s family in Redondo Beach, California.  We were connected by the Face Time App and it was almost as good as having everyone in the same room…almost. The connection was great and it was so good to see our California kids who are growing up too fast.

On Sunday morning we were up early so that we could make it to the nine o’clock service at Grace Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston.  We were so proud of ourselves because everyone was up, dressed, fed, and ready to depart in plenty of time, and that’s not always easy with two little ones.  The reason that we went early was so that our granddaughters could take part in the Processional of children walking in with Mary and the Baby Jesus.

Grace Episcopal is a beautiful old church and on this day it was filled to the rooftop with adults and young children.  I was awed by the beauty of the sanctuary.  The service was a lively observance of the birth of Christ led by the children’s performance of that blessed event. The Priest led us in readings while the children performed.  At the conclusion, the participants in the Processional entered and our granddaughters joined in and walked to the altar. The processional was large and it was also very inspirational.

After the service we attended a reception in one of the meeting rooms of the church. The crowd was both large and friendly and I was so thankful that we were able to be a part of it. The cookies were good too.

After church, we decided to take the short walk into downtown Charleston to see the display of model trains that had been set up in the lobby of Charleston Place, an indoor shopping area.

It was a beautiful morning and the walk was very pleasant with few people in the downtown area at that time.  I couldn’t help but notice the contrast of Christmas decorations and the palm trees that lined the streets of Charleston.

The train display was very well done and our girls loved it.  They were able to walk up a circular stairway to grab a better view.  My hat is off to whoever put this together.  It made me want to get into model trains, but I have enough activity for now…maybe next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon my son and I decided that the day was too nice not to go fishing in the salt marsh creek behind his home.  We bought a few shrimp and tried our luck to no avail. However, the marsh on James Island Creek is so beautiful it was just a treat to be out there on his dock.  He has a lovely view of the marsh and Charleston Harbor and I was able to capture a picture of two sailboats passing in the distance. I could have stayed there forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back inside, Helen was helping the girls with their gingerbread houses.  Both girls are somewhat perfectionist and it takes patience to go through the trials of gingerbread home construction, but NOBODY has more patience than Helen, and she pulled it off like a pro. The rest of the afternoon consisted of a neighborhood visit and football for me.

That evening, Helen and I did a little babysitting while Mom and Dad attended a gathering at a friends house.  I got to do story time for the girls and gave a lively rendition of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” that took us straight to bedtime. It was a busy day indeed.

We returned home the next day.  It is a week later, and I’m consumed with getting everything in order for Christmas and wanting to get this post up before this day is done. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy the pictures of our family gathering and the beautiful area that is Charleston, SC. When it comes to retirement activities, there is none better than spending time with family and taking another step along our journey of Faith. Thanks for letting us share both with readers of Easin’ Along. Have a Blessed Christmas season.

 

 

 

 

 

I have included in the paragraphs below a submission that I wrote this year for a book of Devotionals that our church published for the Advent season.

 

Advent Devotional

‘Tis the season to be busy…

There are gifts to gather, cards to create, trees to trim, food to fix, and family and friends to fuss over.

More than once, when asked what part of the season I like most, I have often replied “When it’s over”. I do not believe I am alone with that sentiment. The holiday season can be overwhelming. For that reason, I have always savored that part of the Christmas season which begins with the Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve and continues on to the first day of the New Year.

Immediately upon taking my seat in our church for the Candlelight Service, calm prevails.  I am now able to cast aside the hustle and stress of the previous weeks and days, and replace that with thoughts of the simple blessings of friends and family, and the blessing of God’s gift to us, the birth of Jesus Christ. In the solemn serenity of our sanctuary, softened by candlelight, and our choir singing carols, the gifts stuffed in stockings are now replaced in my mind by, the gift of God’s love and the peace through Christ that God gave to us.

In Matthew 2:12 we are told the following about the Wise Men…”They returned to their country by another route.”  The Wise Men had followed a star to Bethlehem. They had seen Mary and the Baby Jesus, but, having been warned in a dream about Herod, they took a different road back home.

After Christmas, in the winter quiet that follows, I have the time to reflect on my own route along a personal journey of faith.  Do I need to take a different road? I just prepared with great vigor to celebrate the season of this thing that has happened (Luke 2:15). Now, with the gifts exchanged, and the tree put away, there is time to examine how I will make that journey for the coming year with Christ at my side and His Word to guide me. Will I use that same vigor?

Through the clamor that can accompany the Christmas season we see many displays of the love taught to us by Christ. We have witnessed gifts to charities and a helping hand extended to the sick, the needy, and to our brave wounded veterans. Is that the road I follow and lend my hand to those truly worthy endeavors? Or, do I follow a road of a renewed commitment to prayer and to the study of His Word in the Bible? Do I reach out to our church for a new direction in faith through fellowship? There is many a path before us.

In the calm hush that follows the Christmas rush, I am always reassured that God listens to us. Even in this busy season when we seek peace, we know that God gives us peace through Jesus Christ if we follow him. As I now ask God which route I should take as I prepare for a New Year, I am again confident he will listen and send me down the right road.  The road a Wise Man would surely follow…

After the first ninety days of being officially, finally, and (probably) forever retired, I find that I’m still adjusting to the pace.  I mentioned a few weeks back I found my self staring at the walls for a few days at first as if I was waiting for a crisis call from work, or hit by the realization that I was late for some important meeting. Those feelings subsided after a bit, and while I still fight the notion that I need to be in a hurry for some unexplained reason, I’m growing more comfortable with the idea of just Easin’ Along. Nevertheless, I intend to be active, both in the community and online, while still reserving plenty of time to travel and visit with our family and friends.

There is a plethora of options out there for anyone who wants to be involved and active. A community the size of the one in which we live offers an abundance of activities which serve the sick, the needy, and our brave veterans. We’re fortunate also to live near a large university with some wonderful programs for study and personal growth.  In the future posts we will explore some of those endeavors here.

We’re equally blessed to belong to a strong and vibrant church with an active congregation composed of individuals with diverse interests and backgrounds.  We’re indeed fortunate that so many of them use their energy and creative skills in any number of ways to engage us collectively as we pursue our walk of faith as individuals. As a result, the opportunity for spiritual growth is greatly enhanced through fellowship with our members.

In the past we have participated in weekend retreats where, joined by other members, we were challenged by some very gifted church leaders to think in new ways about our own spiritual pursuits.  We have had delightful experiences in our church supper clubs by becoming more closely acquainted with fellow members in a smaller, more casual setting. Other activities have included family camping trips, bus trips to regional attractions for seniors, youth outings, mission trips, and exercise classes just to name a few. One of my early experiences with the activities of our church was my participation in a group Bible study almost twenty five years ago when I was undergoing some personal challenges.  The experience was profound and provided a great deal of comfort at a time when it was most needed.

This past week we held a gathering for the men of the church and I was “all in”.  This is a gathering that had not been held in several years, and two of our members decided that it was time to make it happen once more.  They obtained a small meeting room at a local hotel and arranged for a light buffet of delicious food in more than ample quantities. The gathering was scheduled for 5:30 to 7:00.  I arrived around the announced starting time, and a number of men were already there.  The buffet table was open and a few were eating. Yes, some adult beverages were served to a few and, I think it helped add to a relaxed and casual atmosphere.

As the event progressed it was great to see that our men were moving throughout the room to greet and talk to each other rather than to remain in the same small groups.  The ages of the men ran the spectrum which was also good to see–it certainly was no obstacle as the conversations proved to be lively in all corners of the room.

Although the crowd size was somewhat modest, I would certainly proclaim it a success by every measure. As mentioned, our gathering was scheduled to end at 7:00, but it was long past that when we gathered for a group picture and discovered that no one had left. The evening was a great success, and I am certain there will be similar events in the future.  One fellow remarked from one corner of the room that hosting a fish fry would be right down his alley.  Sign me up!

The point of this post is to say that, while entry into a retirement lifestyle may be an adjustment in the early stages, there will be plenty of opportunities to pick up the pace. I’m eternally grateful to belong to a church that provides opportunities to be active. 

Hopefully, I will come to a point in the future, where I realize that retirement is a journey, not a sprint. My nature is to hit the ground running…for now I’m just Easin’ Along.

 

 

 

 

Our retirement plan came straight out of the many guidebooks that we had read leading up to the big day.  We had met with the financial people and received solid advice.  We had downsized our living situation to one we were comfortable with and could manage for much, if not all, of our Golden Years. We had planned and budgeted for a big trip to celebrate and decompress a bit while Joe adjusted to a new routine.  (See previous Easin’ Along posts for trip info). We had projects to putter over, books to babble about, and music to mumble the words to.  We were set.

Throughout the guidebooks and the advisor meetings there is one consistent piece of advice…always plan for the unexpected. Well…the unexpected came quickly enough, and it was a wake up call…fortunately a gentle one.

We returned home after being on a wonderful five week journey along the east coast of our beautiful country and began the process of establishing a daily routine. For Helen this was no big deal.  Within hours of waking on the first day back, she was planning a week that included Bible study, pottery class, exercise class, lunch with friends, choir practice, and an occasional kiss blown in my direction.

For me, the script was totally different. I stared at the walls for most of a week.  To be sure, the fact that I had done the majority of the driving for five weeks presented a need for a little down time, but the most pressing need was for some structure…the question arose “What is my daily routine?”.

I have had a  “real job” ever since I was umpiring Little League Baseball games at age 15. Now,  52 years later, I found myself confronting life as a healthy 67 year old man no longer in the work force, and with only a few interests that could pass for hobbies. I was unsure I was passionate enough about any causes or charities to volunteer my time to them and, not yet ready to take off on another road trip adventure. What was apparent was that the answer to what comprised my daily routine wasn’t going to jump out of the walls surrounding me in the man cave.

Knowing that I’m among many in the first wave of Baby Boomers forced to face this dilemma, I want to explore the subject of structure in our lives within future posts of Easin’ Along.  As stated earlier, Easin’ Along is not intended as a “how to” for retirement. There are already several million of those out there. We’re simply going to approach the Golden Years on a slow walk and see where the need for structure and a daily routine takes us. Knowing myself, and the few interests I have at present, my structure will probably have a foundation based on Fun, Food, and the Fundamentals of Faith and Family. We will have a small touch of Finance inserted on occasion whenever lessons learned about money and planning work their way into, and become a part of, the structure of life and a daily routine. My hope is that others with join us on this Slow Walk and let us know what activities give structure to your life and how you work them into a comfortable routine. Post your comments, so we can share them here.  It will be fun.

Now, about that gentle wake up call….

On the second day back from our trip, we decided that we should give ourselves a “welcome home” present of a big spaghetti dinner. This really is a treat, because Helen makes a sauce that is world class scrumptious.  She prepares it in large quantities in an oversize soup kettle and then freezes it in dinner size portions.  We call it “BeBe’s Beefy Spaghetti Sauce”.  Cute, huh?

I went out to the garage and opened our freezer to grab a container.  I noticed that the sauce was still frozen, but a little soft. I turned the temperature down a notch and reminded myself to check again the next day.

By the next morning, it was apparent that the freezer had taken on a “death rattle” and was close to expiring.  By that afternoon, a bugle sounding taps would have been in order…the freezer had died. Thankfully, the freezer waited for us to return home rather than conk out four weeks earlier.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.  We had taken that dependable old Sears freezer for granted for over 35 years.  It had purred along every day of those years without so much as a hiccup.  I still have the original invoice from when it was delivered in 1980.

This appliance had cradled popsicles for the kids, fish we had caught, deer somebody else had shot, and leftovers from food we had tried once (but never again). There had been ice cream sorted by the flavor, chicken sorted by parts, and bread sorted by date. We even kept packages of Southern Beaten Biscuits that an aunt gave us for Christmas one year and we handed out as gag gifts to the family for many years thereafter.  It was always good for great laughter.

I would venture a guess that no one has specific plans for a dead freezer. The freezer just quits working and you deal with it as you choose, then move on. Nevertheless, this was a wake up call we needed…nothing lasts forever, and part of any plan calls for a plan for the unexpected. The loss of the freezer was a subtle, yet sudden event that helped us to focus on the fact that unexpected things do happen and that we need to be prepared for them.  Fortunately this was only a freezer and not a fire or an automobile accident that was not adequately covered by insurance, or even worse, an illness affecting a loved one. Yes, our 35 year old, very dependable freezer, made us focus a little more intently on the need for contingencies in the future.

As for moving on, we agreed that we had to have another freezer. We also agreed that we could do with a smaller size.  After all, space was at a premium after downsizing to a smaller home, and we needed some room in the garage for the bicycles.

After a little research I discovered that September was a great month for a freezer to stop working because they were on sale at Home Depot for the entire month.  I went to the store and picked out one that was a perfect size for the garage. I paid the reduced sales price minus the much appreciated discount that Home Depot gives to active and retired Army veterans. The very helpful sales clerk made arrangements for delivery as well as the pickup and disposal of the old freezer. Done!

Two days later and the space for the new purchase readied, the delivery truck arrived right on time. There were two deliverymen, but only one got out of the truck. This prompted a raised eyebrow because I was curious as to how one person could manage a freezer by himself.  I then learned that freezers have shed a lot of weight in 35 years and this one was light as a feather compared to our old friend.

The new one was put in place and the old one carted out and loaded on the truck. I waved to it as it was driven out of sight.

Silently, I paid tribute to an old friend for its many years of dependable service and for a job well done .  Even though we don’t have as much room as we once did for ice cream, we’re now a bit more focused on having a plan for whatever comes next.

 

It’s all part of Easin’ Along.