Kindred Spirits

I have a dear friend who has spent a huge part of our friendship living in Alberta. One of those friends that you just wish lived next door, because you know you would never tire of each other.
We have had good times together when Tami was young, we've loved the Lord together, we've bought automobiles together and sadly, shared the experiences of breast cancer together.

I was overwhelmed and humbled when I received this e-mail from her after announcing my retirement.
I think that through my many experiences she has been living in my head, she has understood so well.

"So you took the step, eh?
Congratulations on 27 years of dedicated hard work that you gave the credit union.
You deserve to be honoured for it all. (I have never liked the word `deserved')
I suspect this retirement comes with a whole lot of mixed emotions -
relief, thankfulness for the job that was,
for the freedom to move on from there,
an awareness of what it cost you to work there all those years in terms of your physical energy, your emotional energy,
an awareness of how hard you worked and how much of your heart you invested in that place and in those people,
an awareness and memory of the things that were difficult,
pride in having done it all these years and all kinds of memories....
I wish you all the best too in whatever the future holds for you Yolanda.
May you be blessed and may you know happiness and contentment in it."

Thank you Pat.

Hugs
Yolanda

I've gone to find myself. If I get back before I've found me, please keep me here!