Welcome to the May 2026 edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date link up Deborah and I host the first Friday of every month. This year sure is moving right along—it’s hard to believe we’re already 1/3 of the way through.
You know how this works—grab the badge, link your post, and comment on the other blogs in the link-up.
Moving Right Along
If we were having coffee, I would tell you my daughter hopes to be moving right along to Florida in June! She and her boyfriend found a house in the Gainesville area and their house in Longmont has gone live on MLS! Fingers crossed everything falls into place—there is so much work to do for a cross-country move.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you about another “life” transition that’s affecting me—our Priest retired a few weeks ago, so our church is searching for a new Rector. I know different religions do it differently, but in the Episcopal Church it is a parish-led process with lots of meetings. 😉
While Search by Michelle Huneven is about a Unitarian Universalist church searching for a new Rector, the general process wasn’t too different—although we have more guidance and assistance from the Diocese of Virginia than the fictionalized UU church seemed to have!
With our priest leaving, our Deacon had to leave too. During her send-off service (not the official name!), one of the exhortation prayers really struck me:
The time has come to release your active role in the ministry of this congregation. Do you now surrender your tasks and ministry to others, trusting in God’s provision for this congregation ….
Of course, the proper answer is Yes, but as a type A control freak, I am going to have a hard time being able to “surrender” my work to others whenever I leave (retire from) my less important job as an attorney. Hopefully when the time comes letting go will be more freeing than stressful and I will trust my colleagues to carry on!
If were having coffee, I would ask if you’ve read any good books lately. After stalling out with The People’s Library (which took me forever to get through), my reading list is finally moving along. These are the books I’ve enjoyed so far this year.
You may have seen Wendy’s mini reviews of many of them.
I did like Yesteryear, but I can’t help but wonder if I would have liked it better if the second half was more integrated with the first rather than being introduced as a fever dream. Maybe I wanted more of a reckoning with reality than I got!
Have you had to let go of a role that was important to you?
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Aww, glad that they found a house! Best of luck to them on their move!
I’ll be doing a My Month Is Booked linkup on Monday, so feel free to link up! :] I really liked 3 out of the 5 books I read but they were a little heartbreaking, so if you’re looking for happy, I wouldn’t recommend mine, haha. I heard about Yesteryear recently + it’s on my TBR!
It took me a while to get through The People’s Library too. I really liked the concept but not so much the execution. :/
For someone used to being on top of things, handing over control when you retire will be difficult. Things will be done differently. Not necessarily worse, just not your way.
But there’s also something quite powerful in stepping back – it’s proof you were part of something bigger than your own effort.
I’d be surprised if it feels freeing immediately though. More likely a mix of relief, restlessness, and the urge to “just get one more thing done.”