Farewell Mark and Sharon

Mark Engle has been the Rector at St. Paul's in Marquette for nearly twenty years. He retires on 31 December 2006, and he and his wife Sharon will move to Lower Michigan for proximity to grandbabies. To celebrate Mark and Sharon's time and to send them off with fond farewells, the rectors, missioners, and other assorted fans of Mark and Sharon gathered for a party on Sunday afternoon.

In other dioceses, farewells are offered at stuffy dinners, with champagne toasts. Perhaps a roasting is offered, or speeches.

In Northern Michigan, we went bowling, and then ate at Red Lobster.

Picture, if you will, twenty of us, on four lanes at the bowling alley in Marquette. Some (like Jim and me) were quite competitive (not GOOD, mind you, just competitive). Others (like Sue and Sharon) used the ramps provided for kids learning how to bowl. Some (like Chuck and Mark) were actually pretty fabulous. Anytime someone threw a strike, or a spare, or just generally made a good effort - the whole crowd, all twenty of us, cheered, screamed, and made a big fuss. I spent time wondering what the gaggle of young women bowling next to us was thinking about who we were and what we were up to. It was really fun. The result: My score - an acceptable, though not stunning, 93 - wisely 5 points below Jim's 98!

After bowling, we all trouped over to Red Lobster. No private room for this crowd. We assembled ourselves at a table for twenty in the middle of the dining room, and proceeded to eat our way through an impressive quantity of food. We chit-chatted, told stories, and then sent Mark and Sharon off to Battle Creek with presents, and they left us with gifts, as well. Speeches were made and tears were shed. My sense is that it was just the kind of send off that Mark and Sharon wanted - fun, quirky, sincere.

Via con Dios, friends.