Life’s Simple Truths – Guest column

Thanks to Rick McCutcheon and countless others—including life coaches, real estate agents, counsellors, therapists, wanna-be poets and I think a few Quakers—for this lovely poem, not my words, but fine words which speak to me as I approach six months of retirement.

As I watched my Territorial Church discern online today how to move forward given certain recent challenges I did feel a pang of guilt, that I was not there physically to assist in such leadership. The truth is however that one year ago I decided that enough was enough; being in active ministry since 1982 I felt that what I had offered through those decades was enough, and that particular enough was indeed, enough! On November 1, 2020 I decided to take an important step into a more flexible and for me, creative world of opportunity and challenge. As Edith Piaf sang, Non Je ne regret rein.

As the words below suggest, there is always an excuse, a good rational excuse to hang on to old ways and patterns and to tell your/my self I will retire after COVID is over, after everything in the parish is straightened out and I have reached certain achievement oriented goals. So the words below “We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone what needs to be done, right away” suddenly made and today continue to make good sense.

When studying organ with my brilliant and very patient teacher, the late Hugh McLean, one day after my own rather imprecise performance of Julius Reubke’s Sonata on the 94^th Psalm he patted me on the shoulder and said “Kenneth (he always called me Kenneth) that was a noble attempt.” We I don’t want that inscription on my grave thank you. I would prefer something like “nothing ventured, nothing gained” or “he did things with a smile” or “we can rest now that he’s gone.”

With thanks to Caitriona Loughrey, enjoy the words which follow:

– Caitriona Loughrey