Renewed Beginnings
I am grateful to the Living Table community for the time away, with special thanks to those who went above and beyond to sustain and grow the life and ministry of this community.
It is good to be back with all of you. This week has been very busy as I try to catch up on all that happened in my absence. You’ve been very busy this summer with some great changes and new experiences. I can’t wait to see where this path leads!
We will have more opportunities to share sabbatical experiences. However, I want to share the highlights with everyone. As many of you know, Erika and I spent the first six weeks building the bus. It took a LOT longer than we had anticipated. In the end, it was absolutely worth the long, exhausting days.
The maiden voyage of the Morgan Express was about 5000 miles with many stops to see family and friends. I was able to reconnect and get to know my mother’s half-siblings whom she never met, and a cousin I hadn’t seen since I was a child. Erika was able to visit her Godfather whom she hadn’t seen since she was about three.
There were also visits with life-long friends and many of the East Coast places Erika and I love. Morgan loves the beach and hates the ocean. While he doesn’t like getting his feet wet, he does like to chase crabs and seagulls. He was disappointed that there were neither at Lake Michigan.
We traveled through beautiful country, too. The mountains of Tennessee were quite different from the mountains of New England and New York. We also saw lots of corn, soybeans, and a bit of cotton in bloom. I was able to do some painting and some writing in a variety of places, though not enough of either. (Visit The Morgan Express on Instagram)
I will be setting aside some time this fall to write more, paint more, and keep the sense of renewal going. In spite of the busyness of this week, I do feel refreshed and ready for whatever comes next. I am grateful to the Living Table community for the time away, with special thanks to those who went above and beyond to sustain and grow the life and ministry of this community.
Thank you all. See you soon!
About Rachael Keefe
Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe is the pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ. She was called to Living Table in 2015 after serving in many varied ministry settings since her ordination in 1992. She holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Seminary at Yale (formerly Andover Newton Theological School). Her ministry and leadership often center around advocacy and accessibility. Her writing has been published by Chalice Press, The Christian Century, Red Letter Christians, Working Preacher, RevGalBlogPals, and others. She is grateful to be in ministry with Living Table today.
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