I am in a time of transition, milestones, and reflections.
April 21st marked our 44th anniversary. It also now is the birthday of not only our son but his new daughter. We now have two grandchildren. May 1st marked my tenth year as Head Coach at ECS, and with some luck, I will be working with my successor come July 1st. September 1st will mark 30 years with Modern Group Ltd. This October, I will turn seventy and retire from ECS. It will also celebrate 32 years of being sober.
So, a lot of water has flowed under the Griffith Bridge. I should have another 20 years or so if family history is any guide.
Jacqui and I have been blessed and privileged to live an extraordinary life, and we look forward to some new chapters both beginning and being written. We have also been called to live a good life.
It is said to whom much is given, much is expected. We grew up with that life lesson. Looking at the upcoming generations, I see many giving back and demanding a more equitable opportunity for all. This demand is not a call for socialism but a true theology of abundance as a tool for change. Access to opportunity where this has not been the case is the critical change agent for many in our society. You can also see the clarion call and challenge to change our behaviors with the environment. Not just on a local scale but nationally and internationally.
A good life. We are called in our tradition to respect the dignity of every human being. We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. Not some human beings and not some neighbors. All!
Time is not our friend and the science and data are more evident with every passing year. My work at Episcopal Community Services, with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and Jacqui’s work at Fisherman’s Mark and Foundation Academy tells me we have answers to poverty and climate change.
The tricky question is, do we have the will to live a good life? Do we intend to put our time, treasure, and talent to work on the critical challenges of our time? Do we, as I often ask, “put Grandchildren over greed” and not just yours and mine, but all Grandchildren?
Jacqui and I will retire, but not from the missions and the causes we support. We will do so as a couple and as individuals. We will advocate for the necessary local, state, and national changes. We will invest in change. We will put Grandchildren ahead of greed.
Pick your path to a good life. We would welcome the company.
As will all our grandchildren.
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