Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/52581
upcoming Women of Color Consultation—and managing an upcoming family reunion, Arlene admits she might be a little over- committed at the moment. "I'm a single mother," she says. "My son and his family live in northern California and my sister just moved to Arizona. I miss them but this work keeps me busy." Even so, Arlene appreciates the freedom to structure her time as she wishes, rather than responding to the over-packed calendar of the presby- tery executive life. "I can go shop- ping now," Arlene celebrates. "Before, I could only run in and grab something and run back out. Now I can just walk and walk the mall, then walk some more. I can get up each morning and spend as much time as I want singing and praying. I have time to read my Bible each night before going to bed." Just Finding Enough for Today Elizabeth Nordquist, 68 years old, also values the gift of unscheduled time in her life, two years after retir- ing from the southern campus of San Francisco Theological Seminary. In addition to reading through the books she intended to read while an English major, the former professor of spirituality also took much of her d ᑁᑃᑆᑄᑇᑅᑂᑃᑆᑀ ᑐᑣᑰᑒᑥᑔᑀᑅᑣᑠᑱᑀᑄᑥᑣᑨᑢᑔᑁᑀᑉᑤᑙᑥᑙᑧᑨᑒᑠ ᑃᑙᑥᑕᑓᑧᑙᑣᑢᑀᑒᑢᑔᑀᑧᑘᑕᑀᑉᑕᑓᑣᑢᑔᑀᑅᑒᑠᑖᑀᑣᑖᑀᑇᑙᑖᑕᑀᑀ ᑐ+ᑀᑕᑡ∃ᑧᑡ∃ᑥ&ᑀᑒ∋ᑥ!&ᑨᑥ∃ ᑑᑡ ᑢ∃ᑩᑤᑧᑥᑁᑀᑕᑉᑈᑀᑑ∀)ᑱᑥ+ ᑗ∋ᑢᑱᑩᑣᑡ&ᑩ∀!%ᑁᑀᑄᑇᑇᑆ ᑉᑀ&ᑨ∀∋ᑧᑨ&ᑦ∋ᑱᑀᑡ!ᑤᑀᑥ!ᑣ∀∋∃ᑡᑧᑩ!ᑧ ᑥ∗ᑡ ᑩ!ᑡ&ᑩ∀!ᑀ∀ᑦᑀᑨ∀)ᑀ∀∋∃ᑀᑱᑩ(ᑥ%ᑀᑡ!ᑤ ∀∋∃ᑀᑥ∗#ᑥ∃ᑩᑥ!ᑣᑥ%ᑀ∀ᑦᑀᑒ∀ᑤᑀ&ᑨ∃∀∋ᑧᑨ &ᑨᑥᑀᑓ∀ᑱ+ᑀᑘ#ᑩ∃ᑩ&ᑀᑤᑥᑥ#ᑥ!ᑀᑡ%ᑀ)ᑥᑀᑧ∃∀) )ᑩ%ᑥ∃ᑂ 12 ᑆᑢᑩᑕᑢᑧᑙᑢᑗᑀᑧᑘᑕᑀᑈᑕᑦᑧᑀᑣᑖᑀᑣᑨᑥᑀᑇᑙᑩᑕᑦᑁᑀᑑᑣᑡᑕᑢᑀᑙᑢ ᑉᑕᑓᑣᑢᑔᑀᑂᑔᑨᑠᑧᑘᑣᑣᑔᑀᑀ ᑐ+ᑀᑘ∋,ᑡ!!ᑥᑀᑐ∃ᑡ∋!ᑀᑔᑥ(ᑩ!ᑥ ᑖᑥ)ᑀᑠ∀∃ᑰᑈᑀᑙᑩᑰᑩ!ᑧᑀᑗᑥ!ᑧ∋ᑩ!ᑁᑀᑅᑃᑃᑆ ᑉᑀ%ᑥᑣ∋ᑱᑡ∃ᑀᑡ!ᑤᑀ∃ᑥᑡᑤᑡᑢᑱᑥᑀᑱ∀∀ᑰᑀᑡ&ᑀᑨ∀) ᑢᑥᑩ!ᑧᑀᑡᑀ)∀ ᑡ!ᑀ∀(ᑥ∃ᑀ&ᑨᑥᑀᑡᑧᑥᑀ∀ᑦᑀᑆᑃᑀᑨᑡ% ᑣᑨᑡ!ᑧᑥᑤᑀᑩ!ᑀ∀∋∃ᑀᑣ∋ᑱ&∋∃ᑥᑁᑀᑡ!ᑤᑀᑨ∀)ᑀ)ᑥ ᑣᑡ!ᑀᑣᑱᑡᑩ ᑀᑦ∃ᑥ%ᑨᑀᑥ!ᑥ∃ᑧ+ᑀᑡ!ᑤᑀᑤᑩ∃ᑥᑣ&ᑩ∀! )ᑩ&ᑨᑩ!ᑀ&ᑨ∀%ᑥᑀᑣᑨᑡ!ᑧᑥ%ᑂ first post-retirement year to think and pray with deep and consistent intentionality. Since retirement, Eliz- abeth has encountered and formed a solid friendship with another recently retired woman in her neighborhood. "I wanted to be a person in my neighborhood," she says. "A commute that was 50 and then 100 miles round trip cut me off from being where I lived." "Perhaps the most humbling [aspect of aging] is the discovery that it is no longer possible to be as unconscious of my body as I was earlier in my life," Elizabeth observes. "Now, there's no avoiding that part of myself. I have to be pres- ent to it, allow it to speak to me and to do the stewardship of caring for my body. I don't like to walk or to exercise, but now it's more of a thing that needs to be done." Eliza- beth continues her work as a spiri- tual director and writer while she and her husband prepare for his upcoming retirement. "I'm glad we're anticipating this change," Elizabeth says. "I've developed a pat- tern of being home on my own these last few years. Now that is going to change. The question for me is 'What do I do to make this work and still be true to myself?'" Back on the beach, I thought about Elizabeth's question as I stood up. I might have been a bit slow and awkward, but I still made it to my feet all on my own. My daughter and her beloved had come out of the ocean and were drying them- selves. It was time to head back to town and, eventually, to the airport so they could return to the other side of the country. I found myself thinking that "Now what?" is a good question, with many answers. I felt grateful for the chance to start finding out which answers might work for me. In the meantime, there was a car to reload, some food to cook for dinner and childhood pho- tos to unbury so all the good stories could be told. And that was enough for that day. As we drove back toward home, I noticed I was hum- ming the last line from Pete Seeger's chorus: ". . . a time for peace, I swear it's not too late." Anitra Kitts is a mother and occasional preacher. She holds a master of divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary and lives in Santa Rosa, California. *Marriage between same-gender couples is legal in six states, and was legal in California from May 15– November 4, 2008. All marriages recognized in that window retain full legal standing.