Are you retired or just tired?

Every once in a while we run into people we haven’t seen for a while and we get the usual run of questions. They ask how the kids are, how many grandchildren we have and where is everyone these days, is Russ retired and then, to my amusement they ask if I am retired.

I have a couple of responses but my favorite is you really can’t retire when you never had a career. 

Sure I still work one day a week in my favorite little shoppe. But I think even when that season ends, we shan’t be calling it “retirement”. 

No, there is no gold watch, plaque with your name on it or dinner held for the one who just worked a slew of part time jobs and kept the laundry, house and meals going. 

But I am not singing any sad songs, trust me. 

As I continue to do the same things I have done since we brought our little newborn Rachel home from the hospital four plus decades ago, I thank God every day for the blessing of getting to do what I wanted to do most. 

My mom used to laugh and say I had fulfilled my childhood dream job request as I always answered the question of what I wanted to be when I grew up with the same answer…a wife and a mom. 

Blessings can be so ordinary and simple that we might miss them. So I am thankful when I get asked about my “retirement” plans. They are the same as they have always been. 

As long as dust settles and carpets need vacuuming, our people need clean clothes and food in their tummies, gardens need planting, weeding and watering, occasions need decorations and celebration , athletes need to be cheered for and snacks need to be provided and I can do the work…I shall be clocking in daily with a grateful heart for the tasks my hands have been assigned to do <3