A year ago to the date I preached my last sermon at the Gathering Place, drawing to a close fourteen years (plus or minus a couple of months, depending how you count) of ministry in Scotland.  I was certainly showered with generous gifts, and blessed on my way with a lot of love and good wishes.

A year on, I am pausing to look back over that year (I was, technically, still minister there until the end of August) that has elapsed... a year during which I have had a lot of fun learning two new roles in two very different contexts, and adjusting to life in a small (by my reckoning anyway) town and as a commuter several times a week.

During that last weekend of working in Glasgow, I came into contact with someone who had Covid, and spent half of my annual leave recovering from that whilst organising the move south and cancelling a range of fun meet-ups to say 'farewell' to other folk in and around Glasgow.  Although I recovered well and the move went smoothly, I certainly didn't arrive in Railway Town rested!

I have loved my first year at Vicar School, getting to know colleagues and beginning (I hope) to bring some 'added value' to the areas of work which fall within my remit.  Working with students, MiTs and NAMs is joyful (and sometimes frustrating!) and it definitely feels like the right focus for my final years pre-retirement.  Working to update materials and refresh formats, organising residential events, visiting students in placement, leading chapel worship, helping to develop new modules...    

Likewise my first year as a Transitional Minister, where we have achieved so much together already, and where I can begin to see the shape of our remaining time together over the next couple of years.  A Baptism, two new Members, a new Deacon, lots of people leading services, Advent and Lent on Zoom, another brush with Covid, and some new ideas to move forwards...

As I wrote at the end of my first year in Glasgow, so I I say again now: for what has been, 'thank you'; for what's to come 'yes'.