by Carolyn Tytler

Created on: February 03, 2009   Last Updated: February 17, 2009

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.

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