Our ward bishop at church had been a bishop for longer than any other in the stake and even thought we have been in the ward less then a year we had grown to really love him. There had been rumors for the last several weeks that change may be in the works but last week was ward conference and so we figured if it was going to happen it would have been then. As the stake president stood up and announced that the bishop would be released I started to think who could they possibly get. There was no one I could think of that I could picture as the bishop. And then they announced it would be Brother Davidson who I have worked with in the priest quorum. Brilliant! The perfect choice. Why hadn't I thought of that. It is awesome how the church works. A beloved bishop who had served for many years steps down from the pulpit and takes his seat next to his wife and family and a new bishop nervously and humbly accepts the call that he did not seek to serve and try to fill his shoes. Our old bishop described himself last week in ward conference as being like "an old pair of socks that you just can't bring yourself to throw out", "Worn and comfortable". Our ward got a new bishop today, perhaps not quite as comfortable and certainly not as worn but an excellent fit and sure to keep our feet planted in the gospel.
After a 7 year hiatus from school I have decided it is time for me to move forward with my education. I think I will begin by studying for some CLEP tests that I can take before actually enrolling. This will give me a chance to get my feet wet and determine how much time I can commit to school in my already full life. Ironically next month I will pay off the last of my student loans. I feel extremely blessed to have my current job as operations and production manager of a small research and development company. For the last four years I have been involved with designing, testing, and producing locomotive parts for GE. I could not ask for a better job. I do what I have always wanted to do. My reasons for going back to school now are simple. I feel like at this time in my life I can fit it in financially and socially and I'm sure at some future point it will help me to continue to do what I love to do which is to make the world work better.