So yesterday I read Snow Job And The Four Dwarfs at the Old Settlers annual picnic in Cushing. It’s an event that has been going on since 1939. I prefaced the reading with a reminder that I’d spoken there a few years ago and warned that we had time here to plan for our future and what the places we love here should look like. That was before a proposed hog factory blindsided our vulnerable and unprepared townships. How do you say “I told you so!” in a nice way?
The program had been billed as a talk by me about my years in ministry, followed by a story reading. I’m reluctant to focus on myself and ministry, so I briefly talked about how I didn’t want to do the work and was “dragged” into it. But there were unexpected positives. I talked briefly about those. I am grateful to God for the entire experience of ministry on God’s behalf.
The story reading went over well and I sold books and personalized my autographing of them. That was in contrast to the Chisago Lakes Library reading, where good weather counter-acted good publicity and attendance was sparse. It doesn’t help that I’m an unknown author. I enjoyed book signing and story talking at Amery’s Bowman Collective two weeks ago. It’s an interesting store and I was able to admire Rene Tebdrup’s (Shiloh Arts) fine pottery and stained glass. She had a pop-up store next to my book table.
So next Sunday is it: final retirement (my third). The Wolf Creek rascals have ads in the local papers inviting people to my last service and cake and coffee following. It’s an 8:15 a.m. service, so we’ll see if anyone shows. The way things have been going lately, it’s bound to rain. Yesterday I got soaked just a I uncovered the lawn tractor to mow grass that’s encroaching on “as high as an elephant’s eye”. If one is going to have a good final appointment in ministry, it could not have been better than these past six years at Wolf Creek United Methodist Church. I will miss the people very much.