Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Since 2007

How often do we not know when we are doing something for the last time?

Jim Grey
12 comments on How often do we not know when we are doing something for the last time?
1 minute
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I didn’t know on Christmas Eve in 2019, when I delivered the Christmas Eve message at my church, that it would be my last Christmas Eve there.

The pandemic kept us away in 2020, and then in 2021 it was clear that the church needed to wrap up operations, and find a new church to plant itself in our building. As the year progressed it became clear to me that my time there needed to end. I resigned and relinquished my membership in October.

And now Margaret and I are attending a little Christian church called New Hope just five minutes from our home. We’re attending Christmas Eve services there tonight.

Happy Christmas to you, wherever you are tonight!

Comments

12 responses to “How often do we not know when we are doing something for the last time?”

  1. Sam Avatar
    Sam

    Thought provoking question! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Jim to you and yours!

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Thanks Sam – likewise!

      Reply
  2. Andy Umbo Avatar
    Andy Umbo

    Merry Christmas Jim…I always do most of my “reflecting” at the end of the year, and of course, change is inevitable whether we want it or not… It’s been amazing to me over the last 10 year, well before the pandemic, how many vintage bars and restaurants, public institutions and groups, and many other aspects of my life I’ve come to appreciate, many operating well before I was born, and all I was thinking would go on forever, have disappeared from the landscape never to be seen again!

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      We are in an age of longtime institutions going away, and it is hard.

      Reply
  3. J P Avatar
    J P

    How very true. Then there are the things we suspect or fear may be the last time we do something, like each time we visit an aging relative or a friend in poor health. When a “next time” occurs, it is savored.

    May your Christmas be blessed.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Yes! That’s the other side of this coin.

      Happy Christmas to you and your family!

      Reply
  4. DougD Avatar
    DougD

    Merry Christmas! I am happy to hear that you and Margaret have found a new Church home.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Happy Christmas, Doug! Thank you.

      Reply
  5. Johanna Rothman Avatar
    Johanna Rothman

    I’m glad you have a new spiritual home. Have a wonderful Christmas.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Thank you Johanna! Enjoy the holidays!

      Reply
  6. bodegabayf2 Avatar
    bodegabayf2

    Something I think about each time I visit my aging parents in New York. My brother just mentioned to me last week that when Mom & Dad are gone, there will be no reason ever to return. Happy Holidays Jim!

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      And you might not know when that last time will be!

      I knew when my last time visiting my parents in the hometown was, as the whole house was packed for the move to Indianapolis. I’ve been back there a handful of times since but it’s not the same without my family there.

      Reply

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