Commonwealth Network
Sunday, March 8, 1998
Fare thee well...
There will be a note in the upcoming issue of the newsletter, but I
somehow wanted to write this online community a special post to
officially announce my retirement from Friends of Amy.
I shall continue in my current capacity through the end of April. At
that time - my able assistant, Jeri Melton, will carry on with the
daily operations of FOA. Marc Drumm will continue as webmaster of the
official FOA site at www.amygrant.com. This online list will continue,
though exactly who will be "manning" it in my absence is still being
worked out. I will certainly keep you posted :-)
I have worked with Amy since the fall of 1985. When I began, I was
handed a backlog of unopened mail and asked to simply read it and
respond. And in twelve and a half years - I haven't stopped! Sometimes
I long for those simple days... Like now as I try to train and pass
along to Jeri the benefits of the system that has slowly evolved to
speak to the growing and changing needs of folks who correspond with
Amy. Folks like you!
There are many changes taking place in the lives of several of us and
it would be easy to assume that one change has been precipitated by
another. But looks can be deceiving. I have been praying about a career
change since last fall. Due to both our commitments through the
holidays, I wasn't able to actually meet with Amy until January 7. At
that time, we talked about changes that I knew that I needed to make
and she shared with me some of her own convictions and changes that she
wanted to make. Then, when my father died January 17 and we spent a
week in Nebraska with my mother, we returned home feeling that God was
calling us to go back there. Wow, was that ever a surprise! I never
thought in a million years that I would go "back home", but when God
calls you - it's exciting! And that served to confirm the timing of my
retirement as well.
Amy's response has been consistent with all our friends here - sad but
very supportive. It is said that when you loose something, whether it's
a loved one or your car keys, you go through a season of grief. We've
had a good deal of that so far this year and will have more before it's
over. We know that we are in for an adventure, but Nashville has and
does feel so much like home - it won't be easy to leave it.
Of all the items that I've added to my "job description" over the
years... Taking on the internet has been one of the most revolutionary.
Correspondence will never be the same. I've learned more, kept more
up-to-date and met more people in person as a result of this medium
that any other I've been a part of. But, sometimes it bites the hand
that feeds it. And it's always hungry for information. It has been
overwhelming at times and resulted in more wrankled nerves and hurt
feelings than any other medium before it. And so it goes...
I've rambled enough. And I won't be going anywhere until the end of
April, so I'll still be sending you posts. In fact, we've got a fun
little chat event in the making even now...
Marc was kind enough to remind me just how much response this little
announcement would generate, so I have created a special address just
for it. Please send any comments, questions, well wishes or good
riddances to: [email protected]
Thanks so much for bearing with me and all of us as we move through
these days of transition. God's best and highest to you today.
Until next time...
-Lori Mc