Supposedly a Twinkie snack cake has an indefinite life.   Rumor has it that it can even withstand nuclear fallout.    But  sooner or later, even Twinkies stale.    Most everything else has a shelf life too,  albeit a shorter period than the Twinkie.  The time that it is fresh, vibrant, relevant. I often think of this concept of shelf life and Ecclesiastes, verse 3 plays in my mind, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”.

I lead a life where I try to embrace this concept and to take advantage of those periods of rebirth, of the time to laugh and the time to build.    All the while, recognizing that there is also a time for mourning and periods where one is uprooted.

I am in the process of some pretty major life changes.   It is a time to plant and a time to uproot.   The shelf life of our house, that we have lived in for close to 30 years, has been listed for sale.   The house that our children have been raised, that has seen several renovations, that had a major fire and a beautiful rebuild and the house that contains many memories of our son Ross, of blessed memory.  This wonderful home’s time has come and has gone.   It is the season of moving on and to a new beautiful house.   For as we have listed our one house, we have closed on a new one the week before.    We will be in the process of renovating and remodeling the new house creating an environment that is ours.  The move will certainly have periods that we mourn and those when we dance.

In the midst of this  major house change, I also have decided that my accounting and wealth management career will be coming to a close.   June 30, 2016 will be my retirement date from Plante Moran.  My shelf life of a remarkable professional career is coming to an end.    Through the early years of a local and international CPA firm, to the creating and building of the NCOT firm, leading to the merger with Plante Moran, a large and prominent professional service firm.  

There is a season, a time to plant and a time to uproot.     Plante Moran has mandatory retirement for it’s partners.  I am leaving 3 years before that time.  This has not come without much thought.   My love to help people, to create businesses and to coach and mentor will be part of my new life.   It is a time to build, not at time to weep, a time to search for new challenges and opportunities, not a time to give up on a professional career.  It is the season.

Everything has a shelf life.   The milk and eggs in your refrigerator, the carpet in your hallway and people that come and go.  I believe that when you acknowledge and embrace these experiences and  cycles of life, that your journey will be fuller and more complete.

There is a time for everything.

  I am looking forward to my new phase and  creating and sharing a new chapter with all of you.