Finish . . . Reading Lisa-Jo Baker’s response to Finish makes me think of my own “passing the torch,” so to speak, on a not grand scale at all.
In October of 2011 I went on a women’s retreat with an amazing group of women blessings from Troy United Methodist Church. Prior to this weekend, I had my first mammogram at the age of 40 which called for an ultrasound and then a breast excision. So, my upcoming surgery was definitely on my mind.
The women’s group leading workshops at the retreat published Between the Lines. Inspired and refreshed from the weekend, I read through the magazine and decided I wanted to have a similar publication for the women at my church. Also, I thought the creation of Ruby Magazine would make for a welcoming distraction for what turned out to be a diagnosis of breast cancer.
The magazine/blog ended up having an amazing three-year run with women blessing interviews, personal essays, recipes, and prayers, but I felt it needed to come to a finish this summer as the contributions dwindled. It was time to finish.
When I put out a request for someone to take over, woman blessing Steph went above and beyond by creating The Gentle Yoke, an open faith forum and digital magazine. Now, I have the pleasure of reading her posts and responding to them. So, my finish was really just a blessed beginning.