A LONG WEEK THAT WENT BY FAST

Yes, I've noticed: it's been a while since I posted an entry.  It's just been that kind of week.  Let me quickly recount what has (and has not) transpired.  

As mentioned in the last entry (Sunday), I intended to collect everything that I had in print.  I made a little progress on Sunday, spent all of Monday on it, right through Tuesday afternoon so as to have it ready for the festivities at Taylor on time, so as to present it to the library archives at the dinner.  The bottom line: I did not get it totally finished; there are at least two reviews and one article that I couldn't find.  Never mind, it filled a little case, and I was looking forward to making the presentation.  That is to say, I was looking forward to it until we were about halfway to Taylor, and it was too late to turn around and pick it up at home where I knew I had left it standing by the front door.  Another "compile error" showing up in my cerebral CPU.  

Okay, it's not going to possible for me to thank everyone who had a hand in making Tuesday evening so special; the aforementioned leaky brain would inevitably leave out someone who contributed something, but a particular special mention needs to go to Kari M.  Thank you, Kari, and everyone else!

There was a late-afternoon cookies-and-punch reception in the library galleria.  From there we moved to the banquet room in the dining commons and had a great dinner, and a few speeches.  The highlight was the reminiscence by Kevin Diller, who is my replacement now, from the perspective of a former student.  He came up to the rostrum with the manuscript he was going to read and an old (yellow) copy of Handmaid to Theology, to which he referred at the very end.  That is to say, he made reference to my inscription at the front.  "To Kevin, ...........the normal stuff. Signature."  Then I had written something that I did not usually add and had totally forgotten about, but recollected vividly as soon as he mentioned it.  "Perhaps some day we'll be colleagues."  

I also received the traditional sweat shirt and coffee cup, some money for a set of books I've had my eyes on for a while, and the official plaque naming me professor emeritus.  I now have an officially titulated identity again.

Then we moved to the recital room where former colleague and perennial friend Paul House, now at Beeson Seminary, spoke on leadership in the context of the Carter Lectures, using your faithful bloggist for a number of illustrations. Obvious modesty prohibits me from repeating what he said, but I guess I do want to mention that he surprised me a little bit with how much insight into the life and times of Win Corduan he showed.  Thanks, Paul!

Then we got home at a good hour (say ten-ish).  However, I was way too worked up to get to sleep before 4:30 a.m.  

The last three days are pretty much a blur.  I know I've written some e-mails, found ourselves without internet until we managed to settle the bill, took a number of naps, but really can't remember too many specifics, certainly not any worth mentioning.  

And now, for the rest of my life . . . .