A Parting Word

February 11, 2015
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May I add my ‘thank you’ to Alicia Philipp and The Community Foundation for the enriching five year excursion of thoughtful exchange, interaction, and friendship with Joanna, Alvin, and Joe. Higher Ground was truly Alicia’s conception and assumption that four retiring faith leaders had something more to say and someone to say it to. She billed us as “voices and experiences of relevant wisdom”, and, being an astute and practical CEO, she knew the ‘selling’ of that billing required top-notch and amazing PR people, such as Elyse Hammett and her team of Brittany Gibson and Barbara Pritchett. They did such an extraordinary job that even the four of us began to believe the hype!

While I’m thanking each of them, let me also send forth accolades and thanks to CF’s Latasha Sutherland, whose calls, emails, scheduling, reminders, and re-reminders made our quartet look like we were still expeditious and cognizant after retirement.

I certainly have enjoyed our five years of thoughtful debate, laughter, conversation, and friendship. Each of my three partners are quite gifted and unique. Each has given so much to Atlanta and still has so much more to give, and I thank them for the camaraderie.

“To each is a goal to which God turns him/her, so strive together towards all that is good, and wheresoever you are, God will bring you together, for God has power over all things.”

Qur’an 2:148

We thank all of you who read our blogs, attended our gatherings, and responded to our musings. May whatever good we have been a part of increase, and whatever wrong we fell victim to be forgiven and corrected. I pray that each of us and each of you pursue goodness and discover diverse partners in those pursuits, and may we find higher ground in our faiths, our thoughts, our work, and our callings to serve others.

“O my Lord! Let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honor, and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honor, and grant me from Your Presence clear authority.”

Qur’an 17:80