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It was the first September of retirement after a thirty-five teaching career. What on earth was I doing on a university campus?

True, I was fighting the feeling of being old and useless, but I was also fulfilling the long-held dream of finishing up my master's degree in Religious Education. While working, I had found that it was too stressful to juggle a career, a family and university courses all at the same time. I ended up doing a mediocre job on all three. I suspended the night courses until I could do them justice.

This time, I truly enjoyed the classes. Many of my fellow students were older, perhaps because of the field of study. There were teachers, priests, ministers, and a sprinkling of fresh young faces. As you may imagine, we had some fascinating discussions. We discovered that there are many similarities between the beliefs of all Christian faith communities. I was sorry there were no representatives from the Muslim, Hindu or non-Christian faiths to enlightened us on the tenets their religions.

There were a few problems. It had been many years since I had written an essay. I had forgotten the correct form, and how to do footnotes and a bibliography. However, a visit to the university book store solved that dilemma. When I found a short, easy-to-follow, inexpensive guide, I was ready to go.

I also found that timed exams, were no longer as easy they used to be. I had slowed down. When the younger students finished on time, I was still busily writing away. After I learned to do the questions worth the most marks first, my grades improved significantly.

When I was in high school, typing wasn't a compulsory subject. It would have taken hours to complete those essays with my one-finger typing skills. Once again a solution was forthcoming through the generosity of my long-suffering husband. We purchased a word processor and he, who retained the typing skills from his office career, transposed my writings from longhand form to perfectly-typed formal essays. After I graduated, I treated him to an elegant dinner.

When you reach the retirement stage of life, religion and one's spiritual life should take on increased significance. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to delve into the topic deeply at just the right time.

Now, I am able to volunteer in a wider range of ministries in my parish community, and I'm trying to be more diligent in applying what I've learned to my personal faith life as well.

Learn more about this author, Carolyn Tytler.
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