I am feeling a reflective sadness tonight. A colleague has just announced retirement. I always knew this day would come but I put it in the back of my mind. By hearing the words, it is now a reality. I have worked with this person for a number of years. It has been one of those rare experiences that I feel privileged to have had. We hit it off from day one. We became friends as well as co-workers and I learned so much from this person. A strong sense of spirituality (which is essential in the type of work we do), a wonderful sense of the ridiculous that keeps all of us laughing even in the most dire circumstances, a care for others that goes beyond the job description. I know I will miss this person immeasurably. However, I must also support and encourage since my colleague will still be working here for a while yet and the people we work for will be shocked and upset to hear this person is leaving. So for now I will keep my feelings to myself and this blog. It is the nature of the job that the people I work with do not stay for a long period of time. It is also the nature of the job that I must keep things together through the transition from one person to the next. It is not easy to do especially when I am close to my colleague. It takes a lot of energy to listen to others express their sorrow and try to be encouraging and upbeat. It also takes energy to welcome someone new and unknown. To encourage them, support them and assure everyone around that the new person brings their own unique gifts and talents that will be different from the last. I have done this many times before. It gets more difficult each time. But tommorow I will begin to say goodbye again.