August 14 – last day of full-time employment, last day as full-time pastor in parish ministry, last day as head of staff. A day that began with staff breakfast, and then packing up last of books, files, artwork, plants; cleaning out desk; turning in church phone and keys; saying good-bye to a chapter in life and ministry. 
But still IN ministry. 
And in response to words and actions of hate, in Charlottesville and in Idaho Falls, in the evening I went to a gathering to make peace prayer flags. And, one last time, was identified in a quote in today’s newspaper story about the event as “Rev. Cathy Chisholm, First Presbyterian Church, Idaho Falls.”  
August 15 – first day of retirement, first day of unemployment, first day with creating my own schedule, my own priorities, my own choices of activities and relationships, the future … beginning with a rainbow of prayers for peace, anchored by an eclipse flag. 
Waking up at 4:30 am – and not going back to sleep when I could – meant I could see the bright stars in the early morning dark. Not just see but take notice of, take time to gaze and be amazed and delight in this world. That sounds like a good retirement assignment to myself: to notice and to delight, to explore, observe, discover, and then to reflect, to record, to create. 
A new chapter begins….