From Retirement to "Refirement"

 

By May 2025, we were back in Ohio. I started "cracking the code" on “community” again.

Meeting with old (and new) friends, small group participation, and Fairhaven Church

Saturday Morning Men’s Fellowships.

I joined a 6-week study called The RePurpose Promise. It changed my vocabulary. I realized that "ReTirement" (with a 'T' for temporary) wasn't enough for me. I needed "ReFirement" (with an 'F' for forevermore).

In September, a friend asked how I was doing. I didn't just say "okay." I told him: "I am flourishing." 

My story wasn't over; it was being rewritten. (Part 3 of 4)

Hope and Heavenly

 

April 14, 2025. That was the day I stopped trying to "tough it out." I dialed 988, Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

The woman who answered was named Hope. The social worker who saw me at the clinic was named Heavenly. I don’t believe in "coincidences" anymore.

I was struggling with deep anxiety and the loss of my "safe space." Through their help, medical care, and the support of new friends, I started leaning on a promise found in Philippians 4: “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I was still in the valley, but I wasn't walking alone.

The climb out of the valley had begun. (Part 2 of 4)

The Great Emptying

In late 2024, Victoria and I did something radical. We sold our house, our furniture, and my car. We were headed to Texas to be nomadic and follow our kids and grandson. It felt like the ultimate retirement dream. But sometimes, when you empty your life of "things," you realize how much you rely on "place." By February 2025, I found myself at a literal and spiritual intersection in Corpus Christi TX, crying out to God because I had no hope for the future. The dream had become a desert. (Part 1 of 4)