Rules of the Road

    As I was driving through Atlanta during my trip to Georgia I thought my dad’s driving rule for interstates:  trust the signs.  He taught me this as I drove through Houston TX in the summer of 1967.  I had been driving since my birthday in December 1965, but had little experience on freeways as there were few completed in our area.   On our vacation I'd had the chance to drive on freeways many times, however, I had yet to drive on one in a big city.  I felt a mixture of great excitement and utter fear as Dad announced my driving through Houston would be good practice. 

      Things went pretty well until I had to change from one freeway to another.  My dad sat next to me asking “What does the sign say?  What lane should you be in?”  Please do not imagine that he was calmly making these statements - that just wasn't my dad's style.  I gradually learned how to use the signs and what my dad meant as he told me, “You've got to trust the signs, Cathy.”  “Follow the signs.”

      I made it through Houston (with no yelling between my dad and me that we couldn't laugh about later).  Years later I was driving in New York City and glanced over at a completely separate highway parallel to the one I was on.  I panicked for a moment when I saw a sign over the other road for the interstate I thought I was on.  Then I remembered dad’s words, rechecked the signs in front of me and realized I was on the right road.  The road to the right had its own signs directing people who wanted to merge onto the interstate I was traveling.

      In Atlanta there was no time of day when you could travel without running into terrible traffic somewhere.  So once again I thought of dad as I trusted the signs would lead me to the correct lanes and the highways I sought.  They did.

     Driving around Georgia I continued to think about "trusting the signs."  I started wondering what signs I need to trust as I prepare for my retirement.  I've called on many retirees over my years and know that they have followed signs.  Some signs were truly helpful.  Other times not so much.  For instance I've heard surviving spouses talk about how a couple's retirement plans were made based on the health issues of one spouse, only to have the "healthier" spouse pass away suddenly.  Some have moved to be near grandchildren or for health reasons, only to feel stranded as families were transferred and conditions changed.
     I saw signs within Preachers' Aid Society that pointed me towards setting my retirement date.  Our staff has gone through changes, job descriptions have been in transition, and I could see how 2016 could be a time of letting go of those responsibilities that have defined me in my work for many years.  By the end of this year I will have only one focus: completing the visits with our retirees who live outside the New England states.  As conversations have started to include such phrases as "at your last staff meeting"  or "my last annual conference while with PAS" I've felt the impact of just what following the signs will mean leaving behind.
     I remember that while I was walking the Camino I would trust the yellow arrows along the way and they were usually trustworthy.  But the greater lesson I learned on the pilgrimage, and one that I keep in mind now, was to put my trust in God.   I'll be following the highway signs as I head to Ohio to visit retirees next week, but I'll be trusting God to lead me on through this year.  God, what are the signs you have set out for me?
    Safe travels!  Cathy