Immersed

When I retired from active ministry I stepped back from significant involvement in the church. When Marsha and I settled here in Myrtle Beach I had promised myself I would spend a lot of time with my wife developing our new relationship as retired persons. We did that and had plans for life and travel as well as an active life day to day. I was enjoying our new life. Since Marsha's sickness and death I have also been seeking to live a new life while remembering the past one I loved so much. People say change is difficult and if that is true my life has certainly been difficult. In fact I would emphatically say it has been difficult. Not impossible or unlivable or sad or even without enjoyment, but still difficult. I've been in many conversations about my loss over the past year, many with men who aren't sure they would do very well without their wife. None of what I've written represents something bad, just at times difficult. This weekend with the healing conference I got a chance to be immersed once again in an environment where God's grace was the entire focus. As a priest that was my routine life, but since I retired although I continue with prayer and bible study and regular worship, immersed is not what I would call my life. It felt great to be in that environment where grace was everywhere and evident.