Inspiration Thursday - Retirement One Year Later

Yesterday, April 1, marked my first anniversary of retirement.  After forty years in construction and architecture, including twenty-five with the same company, I walked out of my office for the last time and entered the world of retirement.  It's been good so far.  That's not to say that I don't miss some of the activities at the office.  I do miss the creative process and the interaction with creative people.  I don't miss the deadlines.  I don't miss the travel, a component that has become much more tedious over the years, and I don't miss the never ending schedule of meetings that required my attendance.
My interest in digital photography has served to fill the need to be involved in a creative process.  Looking for interesting subjects, composing the image and post-processing the image in PhotoShop Elements has given me endless hours of joy.
Deadlines!  What deadlines? For the most part, I set my own deadlines for projects around the house and if I don't meet them, they're still there tomorrow.  I LOVE that part.
I spent a lot of time in airports and in airplanes, traveling all over this country.  I just haven't seen much of this country.  My travels usually consisted of airport to airport, rent a car, go to a meeting or job site, go to a hotel, spend the night, go back to the airport and repeat.  This year will be different.  My wife and I are celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary and we are going to take a cruise to Alaska!
Life has been good and I owe that entirely to my Creator.  The God of all creation has provided me with a wonderful life.  I had great parents.  I have an incredible wife.  We have a great daughter/son-in-law, and four marvelous grandchildren. Our health is good and retirement looks to only get better.
Still, there is one thing that I long to hear.  There will come a day when this life is complete and I will enter into eternity.  I will stand before my Creator and my life will be judged.  I would like to be able to stand before my Savior and repeat the words of the apostle Paul..."I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)  Nothing will thrill my soul more than to hear my Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant;..." (Matthew 25:21)  Like most Christians, I have probably spent too much time running my race to please those who live in this world and not enough time spent in pleasing the one who love me enough to die on a cross for my sins and provide a way for me to spend eternity in His presence.  I hope to change that in retirement.  Have a blessed day.