Rosemary and I have so enjoyed getting to know you, Peter and the children in your all too short season in Perth. You will be greatly missed but thank you for all you have poured into your time here.

Thanks Paul. I do wish you and Colleen were closer.

Thanks for such thoughtful reflections Sam. They are both beautiful and helpful.

What surprises me most at this stage is how God’s love becomes quieter but stronger. Not loud, not dramatic—more like a steady warmth that keeps showing up in the small hours, in the ordinary tasks, in the people who cross my path. I’ve stopped asking God to “fix” things and started asking Him to help me see what He is already doing. That shift alone has brought more peace than any solution ever could.

Like you, I’m learning that pace is not the same as purpose. I move slower, but I see more. I listen longer, and people open up in ways they never did when I was rushing. It feels like God is teaching me that usefulness in His kingdom is less about activity and more about presence—being willing to hold another person’s story with care, and then quietly lift it toward heaven.

At 68, I’m grateful. Not because everything is easy, but because everything is meaningful. The outer self is losing some of its shine, but the inner self is finally learning how to love without needing to be right, how to trust without needing to understand, and how to walk with God without needing to know the map.

Thank you for reminding me that aging can be a holy thing.

Thanks so much Ash. The respect is mutual.

Hebrews 13:7 comes to mind: “consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith”.

Wishing you God’s richest blessings in the year ahead.

Thanks so much Matt. Very good to hear from you.