Returning to Those You Love

As the years go by, it is easy to lose track of important people in our lives. We move. We make new friends and grow our families. We enter into a job or vocation that takes over our lives. One day we realize that those earlier connections have slipped through our fingers.

It has been about 30 years since I have seen Mary.  How could that have happened?  What happened was that I became an Episcopal priest, then went to South Africa and then became a Rector of a parish.  All of a sudden, my life became focused on the parish as my main community, my daily life.  In many ways, my life became larger as a result, but then, over the years, it seemed to become smaller.  That’s when I knew it might be time to retire from full-time parish ministry.  One important marker was that I realized that I have lost track of relationships in my life that are an important part of who I am.  I can’t begin to count the many weekend events such as significant birthdays, weddings and funerals that I have missed because of church responsibilities.

Now that I am no longer committed to and responsible for a parish community, I am beginning to return not only to activities that I loved in my childhood, but I am returning to people that I love and from whom I have drifted apart.  Right at the top of my list was to find Mary and be back in touch. Listen to my podcast by clicking at the top of the home page and find out how we reconnected.

Note: Photo of Mary and my godson and her son Scott.