When Does Retirement Start?

When I was planning on retiring, I told Karen that I would spend the first week sleeping and eating, taking lots of naps and going to bed at a decent hour. It hasn't happened! Things are busy, which experienced retirees warned me would happen. But I must say that I am loving it. I am still preaching most Sundays and looking forward to even more opportunities in the future. I love expounding the Word of God and sharing the greatness of our Creator, our Redeemer and our Sustainer. I have been at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Springfield, MO. A lovely and loving Christian community of people. They have now called a pastor and I will soon be out of the pulpit for a while.
One of the things I like about retirement is not having to show up at the office each day and putting in my hours. I do not miss church administration. And I am enjoying being free to take any day and go off to where I want (within the will of God). This last weekend we went to Mermet Springs in southern Illinois for a SCUBA dive. It is an 18 acre spring fed lake, quite cold at depth (45F). They have a 737 fuslage from the movie U. S. Marshalls to explore, along with an ambulance, firetruck, school bus, and a Cessna. The lake is populated with pan fish and even Spoonbills. We made just one dive, but it was worth the effort. I wish I had taken my camera on that first dive (saved it for the second, which I did not take), as there were some neat shots, including me sitting on a motorcycle underwater and a Blue Gill staring into Karen's face mask.
We stayed the night before at Karen's brother, John, with his four wonderful dogs. We had good food, conversation, and fun petting the more affectionate canines. It would have been nice to stay longer or return, but I had to get back to be at Southminster on Sunday when they held a congregational meeting to call their new pastor.