Serve by Design

I have had three interviews in the last two weeks! No, it’s not what you may think. I’m not referring to job interviews. I am officially retired, but as I have often remarked, I live a highly active retirement with several responsibilities, for sure. Some days, I think I have too much on this “retirement plate” with personal, family, and church commitments! Homework Crash! Rather, this is about Grandparent’s Day that officially fell on a Sunday this year, September 7th! I did not know that this emphasis existed until a few years ago when my wife, a regular substitute teacher at our local school, began talking about how many seniors were descending, this time every year, upon the school for a grandparent recognition, at the invitation of their grands and classroom teachers. Klaire, our eight-year-old, was the first to call. She lamented that since I couldn’t fly out to New Mexico for her class program the following week, she had a suggestion, with her mother’s counsel. Could we FaceTi...

It has been an interesting week celebrating a new beginning and accepting a needful closure. First, the celebration. Our oldest granddaughter just officially became an adult earlier this month and has begun to take general study classes at the community college. I was blessed to take her to the first day of classes and then retrieve her at the end of her day. She shared her excitement and jitters on the way and was full of stories on the way back home. I enjoyed the one-on-one time with this smart and beautiful grandchild as she officially begins her new chapter as a college first-year student. I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about the future of these Gen Z grands! Image: vecteezy.com The closure mentioned earlier is about me. I have decided to retire as a workplace chaplain. For seven years now, I have enjoyed my weekly service in a local senior living facility, calling and connecting with truck drivers from a major food distribution company, and many other special assignments...

There was a time in my life when I was flattered to have a target on my back! Now that I am one of the seventy-million or so aging Baby Boomers (born: April 7, 1951, and a card-carrying AARP member!), I am no longer on the radar of businesses who are targeting a much younger generation of consumers. There was a lot of consumer power focused on my generation back in the day. We were part of what fueled the post-World War II economy! That was then and this is now! I should have known that what was going around would be coming around. My beloved mother was lamenting in her seventies and early eighties after a shopping spree at the local clothing department stores (JCP, Kohl’s and the like), “Mike, they just don’t make clothes for someone my age anymore!” I know what she means every time I pick up a piece of men’s sportswear with stretchy-fabric, I find myself declaring, “These are for young, slim guys. Not me!” This brings me to my current lament. After shopping my neighborhood grocery ...