End of an Era

This past Friday, a chapter was closed in my mom's life. For the last year, she has been wanting to retire and move on with her life. We have all waited for that perfect time to come, when the finances would be right, the perfect time to get her house on the real estate market, the perfect time that she could emotionally handle letting go of her job. That perfect time came when my grandmother got sick and we were all reminded of how precious life is and how feeble my granny had become. She wasn't going to live forever as we would all hope for. My mom decided then and their that it was finally time to take that plunge and retire. She had always said that when it came time that my granny would need help, that she would walk out of her job and never look back. And that's just what she did.

Maybe it wasn't as much her decision as she thought. I believe that it was the Lord telling her that it was time to take that faith walk. It was time for her to step out into the unknown and out of her comfort zone. She has a need now. She needs to find a part time job to make up the difference financially month to month. She's been talking about ending this chapter of her life for the last year and for some reason 'stuff' has just been coming up to prevent her from doing that. The one thing that would make her quit, my granny getting sick, would push her out the door. The Lord knew that and now she has taken that plunge. I'm proud of her for taking this walk. I was there last year. I took that walk of faith. I know the criticisms that can come with such a decisions. I also know the fear as you know what your deadline is and you see it coming closer and closer without any resolve in sight. But she will be fine, emotionally, spiritually, financially. The Lord will hold her and I know she believes that to.

So, HAPPY RETIREMENT, MOM!!

She came to my house on the day she retired and since the other two of the 'Byrne Girls 4' couldn't join us for this oh so special event, I had to make sure that she went out with a bang - something special she would remember forever. I think I achieved that goal.

We took her out to dinner at a Japanese Steak House. She had never been to one before and had asked to go so we gladly obliged her. Who could argue with that kind of food?? Yummy!! She wore a special 'Happy Retirement' headband to let the entire restaurant know what a special day this was. She got the attention she deserved when the staff came out banging a gong and then sang a 'Happy Retirement' song to her. They also put a special red chef hat on her to make her stand out more!

I made a special cake for her. I even made a sugar cookie person for each of the 'Byrne Girls 4'. Can you figure out who is who??

I'll give you a while to think about it and submit your answers!

I think my mom had a great day and I achieved my goal of making it special for her. I bought her some Brighton jewelry, her favorite, with her favorite theme of hearts. She got a charm bracelet and matching necklace, you turn the necklace to the other side and it reads, 'Love your heart(the heart isn't written out, it is a picture of a heart)'. I also made sure she had a banner, retirement plates/napkins, a table topper and retirement lawn ornament. She's excited for her new venture and looks forward to spending more time with the grandkids without any boundaries of work responsibilities. She has woken up at 7 a.m. these past few days, she's usually a 5 a.m. riser, just because she can now. I'm excited for her and can't wait to see what the future holds!