Judy Gifford will be retiring on June 30. She and Herb plan to travel, visit family, and just be. It is a well-deserved and long-awaited retirement, but Judy says she will miss the busyness of the office. I will miss Judy.

For more than 10 years, Judy and I have had conversations in the first hours of the morning routine. We’ve talked about the world situation, last night’s TV shows, a magazine article recently read, and what Herb (Judy’s husband) and Ken (my husband) made for dinner the night before.

The phone rings and someone asks Judy about an appropriate video for an adult forum. The UPS man makes his almost daily delivery. A parish study (or two) for the vacancy process has to be completed for one of the associates of the bishop. I have a mailing to go out to the Lutheran Youth Fellowship Board. Judy makes the copies, prepares and stuffs the envelopes. The registrations are coming in for the Lutheran Schools and Early Childhood event. Judy records names and workshop choices and records payment. When the week of the event comes, she will make participant lists and name tags, and stuff packets that will be distributed at the event.

A sheet of new video resources has to be made up to put in the monthly synod mailing. A staff member asks Judy to handle lunch for a special meeting in the annex. Someone returns samples of Sunday church school curriculum borrowed from the synod Resource Center. Synod assembly registrations come in by the hundreds. Everything has to be entered into the computer. Badges must be prepared. The registration process on site must be planned.

The day is over. The plants are watered. The coffee cup is washed. The supply of caramel candies in the candy basket is replenished. “Have a good evening, Ruth. I’ll lock the door.”

Have a good retirement, Judy. I’ll miss you. We’ll miss you. Thank you for being such a wonderful and dear partner in ministry.