A Chapter Comes to a Close…

By -

The days of our living in Monterrey are coming to a close.  Another chapter comes to an end.  When I look back at my life, I can see those major chapters…even some I barely lived…:

Birth – 4-yrs-old…in south Alabama

Guyana (1969-1973)

Wake Forest, NC (1973-1975)

Grenada 1975-1979

Rome, GA (1979-1980)

Grenada (1980-1982)

US High School…Dad’s death (1982-1984)

College (1984-1988)

The “In-Between” Time (June-December 1988)

Louisville—grad school, Jeanne, marriage (1989-1990)

Truett-McConnell (1990-1994)

Methodism, Pastoring, Candler (1993-1997)

McAllen, TX and STCC – Pt.1! – (Aug.1997- Dec.1998)

Michigan Interlude – Spring Arbor, Holly Bike and Hike (1999)

Back to the Church…Erskine…Chicopee and Blairsville (2000-2005)

Venezuela (2005-2008)

México (2008-2011)…and this is the chapter that now comes to a close.  Life here has been a wonderful journey, with ups and downs, with its fair share of good times and bad.  All in all, Monterrey, Mexico, has been a great time—a time of growth and self-discovery.  As we leave here, we leave with mixed emotions…

I will miss some aspects of life here.  The huge city with all its life and energy and movement…this is one of the exciting things about this place.  I love riding the bus, seeing the people, smelling the smells of the city.  I won’t miss the traffic, but the sheer mass of humanity—though overwhelming at times—I will miss.  I will miss the views of this city—the mountains are spectacular!  To see the Sierra Madre rising to the south of the city, sheer, towering peaks over the city…this I will miss.

DSCN2159

DSCN2170

Everything in this city is convenient…that is, there are shops and restaurants everywhere!  Within 2km of our apartment there are THREE major grocery stores and four or five marts.  Then, there are little restaurants everywhere…and of all sorts: an Italian pizzería, a French crepería, Argentine empanadas, and all the tacos that a soul could ever want.  We don’t want for foods…that is for sure.

And, there are the friends.  I don’t have a lot of friends…never have, and probably never will.  But, the friends I have are real friends.  I’m going to miss my occasional coffee with my Moroccan friend, Adil….

DSCN2163

Adil brings such a fresh perspective to life.  Lived all his growing-up years in Morocco…and now lives in Mexico with his Mexican wife and daughter.  Speaks FIVE languages.  He is a teacher—we got to know each other when I taught at the University of Monterrey.  Anyway, he and I still meet for coffee every couple of months…and I will miss him.  Yet, if all goes well, I’ll be back to visit with him every so often….

Well, it is the end of a chapter…and I’ve learned much.  I don’t love administration—my stint as Academic Dean at the Seminary has taught be this.  I love teaching and I’m good at it—and this was reinforced both at the Seminary and the Teachers’ College where I taught a variety of courses…and had the most amazing students.  I will miss my students…but as with Adil, I hope to come back to visit with them every so often, just to catch up, share, and spend time providing a positive influence in their lives.

I imagine I could write for a long time, but the day goes on…and there is much yet to do.  In these last six days of life here in Monterrey, I imagine that I will have much to write as the various thoughts and emotions swirl around in my head, seeking an outlet.  This blog will be that outlet…so, more to come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Where are You From?”—My Cultural-Linguistic Journey

By -
Image
  “Where are you from?” Few questions illicit as much anxiety as this one. At times, I even avoid meeting new people just to side-step this question. “Where are you from?”—seems like such an easy question that should have such an easy answer. For me and others like me, not so. I am a part of that anomalous group of people called “Third Culture Kids”—those who are born in one culture, raised in another, and never completely ‘at home’ anywhere—and often multilingual in some sense or another. Here is my journey…. [In a rich southern drawl] I was born in south Alabama…way down south where the peanut and cotton fields fill the landscape. I came into that world in the mid-60’s…long before cable TV, central a/c, cell phones, and anything akin to ‘urban sprawl.’ My daddy was the Baptist preacher at a small and growin’ church outside of Dothan, Alabama…that’s ‘Dothan’ – “DOOOE-thun.” My momma, a school teacher, and daddy raised my two older brothers and me in a good Southern home. My f...
Read more

I Never Met Jesus…

By -
Sounds like an odd confession coming from this disciple, pastor, missionary guy, but stay with me…. The lady is an amazing woman who has affected my life in profound ways. I have watched her and learned from her. She has molded me and shaped me in many ways. I listened to her as she told stories, as she conversed with others, as she spoke in gentle whispers and in those rare occasions when deep anger rose to the surface. I followed her at times through great crowds of people…and sat near her around tables, on beaches and in cars. Her songs lulled me sleep…her voice called me to life in the mornings. However, the curious thing is that I never ‘met’ this woman—Mom was just always there. Having grown up in the Church and in a Christian home, Jesus was just always there. From the Bible stories that my parents read to me at night…to the prayers around the table at meal-times…to the Bibles that seemed to form a part of my parents’ accoutrements—Jesus was just always there, simply part of the...
Read more

How to Joyfully Survive an ‘Economic Down-Turn’ (or Recession, Depression, etc.)

By -
Image
This idea has been swirling around inside my mind for almost two years, so I guess it’s time to put it on paper.  Now, some will say, “Why’d wait TWO years if you have the answer for us!?!?”  I don’t know.  I guess I’m busy…and perhaps a bit lazy…but more than anything,  I really wanted to turn my thoughts over and over in my mind to make sure I wasn’t telling you something misleading or incorrect.  Two years later, I believe this is a big part of the answer. The secret to joyfully surviving a recession or to living it through it basically unscathed is this:  Decide to live beneath your means. Now, the first part of that statement is SUPER important.  You (and I) must make the mental decision, must take that intellectual step.  If it’s forced on us—which is what a recession or depression may really do, then there is no joy in the living.  We find ourselves bitter, jealous, on a long-term ‘pity-pot’…if not in debt, homeless or...
Read more