A Book . . . or a Bridge

This wonderful graphic crossed my path late yesterday and when I shared it on FB, I commented that I'd like to get it framed and keep it forever. 

Then this morning I received an email from a person who has become very dear to me. "Alice" has spent a year at my church as our vicar and it is nearly time for her to move on to the next chapter in her life. I've been the chair of the committee that supports the vicar and Alice and I have formed a tight bond.

Alice is beginning to feel the feelings that come with big change (and everyone knows that Lutherans get very uneasy when confronted with change). She's now eligible for a call to serve a congregation and it could be anywhere in Southeast Pennsylvania. It's exciting. And at the same time scary. Her last day with us is precisely a month away and she tells me "my last day is a bridge . . . connecting me to the next shoreline." She's so wise.

Ten years ago my job (that I liked) in a community (that I loved) was downsized. I couldn't see my last day as a bridge; it was more like the sign Joe and I once saw that stated, abruptly, "thruway ends here." My employer made available to me a consultant whose specialty was helping downsized people to move forward. I remember thinking her to be daft when she told me, "Someday you'll say, 'losing this job was the best thing that ever happened to me.'"

I cannot figure out whether my last day at that job was the link to a sequel or a major plot twist. Whichever, these ten years have been among the best parts of my life. One new so-so part-time job led me to another part-time work opportunity in a field that was completely alien to me and I learned so much there. Becoming a volunteer led to another part-time job that was the most rewarding position I've ever held. I've met and "friended" wonderful people who I would not otherwise have encountered. I've been  able to spend more time with children and grandchildren. During these ten years Joe and I have traveled to places we never dreamed of seeing. I've become a better and more adventurous quilter, even having my work in shows. Of course I couldn't see it then, but truly, losing that job was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Darling Alice, don't fear that bridge! It's not the two-story George Washington with a hefty toll; rather, it's a sweet, upstate Pennsylvania covered bridge, toll-free and safe and the road on the other side is not just the next chapter in your story but the next stop on your journey. 

May your next ten years be as fulfilling as my last ten. Amen.