Spring time in the mountains at Butternut Golf Course.
Playing golf is much more relaxing and much more fun than cleaning house, washing windows or weeding the flower or vegetable garden.
This is how I planned to spend retirement after a wonderful twenty-five years working at Young Harris College.
How many retirees have said, “I don’t know how I had time to
work!”
Well, it is true. I
have been much more busy than expected since retirement two years ago. I really don’t know how I had time to work a
full time job and also keep up with cooking, housework, and volunteering at
church and community.
My scheduled now includes the above as well as golf, gardening,
canning, freezing, volunteering at church food cottage and writing a book with
my husband about God’s strength in our weakness. Neither golf nor gardening were in my
schedule back then and my house was cleaner when I was gainfully employed. The common thought is “Well, I can do that
tomorrow or the next day!”
Playing golf was always my dream but because of work I never
had time to learn much less play. Now my
husband and I try to play golf at least once a week. My golf pro son gives me a lesson when we
visit his family in MI or he visits us.
Improvement is twenty-two strokes getting to the first hole to about
seven. My first comment was that I got
more exercise than others since I had more swings with the club. Recently I accomplished my first birdie (one under par)!
Back to Eden gardening became a passion after visiting
Evergreen friends in Indiana in November 2012.
My husband built a fortress seven feet high around our garden. Neighbors thought he was building a house
when the first posts went in the ground.
God blessed our efforts and we had an abundant harvest - much more than expected – I canned and
froze vegetables all summer long.
I promised my husband that I would not volunteer for anything
the first year of retirement. He knows
how I like to get involved. My freedom
to sleep in the first few months was great.
Time to read my Bible much more than my regular thirty minutes was
wonderful. A regular exercise program
helped me keep active and fit. Then my husband got
us involved working at our church’s food cottage. A couple of volunteers were out for the
winter and he was asked if we could fill in for them November through
April. Not a problem! Now two years later I am still volunteering
in the office of the Food Cottage. But
what a blessing this work has been and some really wonderful people to work
with.
My husband and I have been composing stories about our lives
and ministry to leave for our children and grandchildren and retirement was
supposed to be the time to “write it.” Joining
a writing club was my attempt to jump start the process. However, this seemed to add another meeting
and travel time was stealing from my time at the computer.
Finally I resigned from two of my volunteer activities and
am focusing more on my writing. Joining
COMPEL with Proverbs 31 Ministries has already helped me “write it.”
Blogging is my attempt to get my creative writing juices flowing so that
the “book” will be not only historical for my descendants but also showing how
HIS story influenced our lives and blessed us much more that we could think or imagine!
Blessings,
Pat
I love it!!! I have always wanted to learn how to play golf. So it's not too late???
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