Saying good-by properly is one thing. Starting a new life is another. But both are part of preparing for retirement.
—Ed Bratcher

Retirement is a good-news/bad-news story. The good news is that retirement provides time to do many things we have had to put off through life. In this sense, retirement is a life-giving experience. The bad news is that much of life as we've known it is lost. In this sense, retirement is a deathlike experience.

And sometimes it feels like both simultaneously. Upon my retirement, a friend wrote about his of two years: "As I look back, I must say that the relocation, the complete change of lifestyle, and the economic adjustments have been dramatic, and these changes continue at a pace that keeps me constantly running to catch-up." My friend's advice to me? "Good luck!"

Jesting aside, I believe we can do better (and my friend would agree). In fact, the better we prepare for retirement, the more we'll experience resurrection through the grief of retirement and joy ...

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