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Imagine,
if
you
will,
my
delight
and
surprise
to
receive
many,
many
cards
to
my
former
residence
in
Beckley,
West
Virginia
for
my
birthday
on
August
9th
from
you,
the
good
people
of
Ascension
and
Holy
Trinity.
To
say
that
I
was
touched
and
grateful
is
an
understatement.
You,
the
gracious
people
of
A&HT,
have
been
showing
me
and
my
family
God’s
love
and
grace
way
before
our
arrival
to
Wyoming.
You
are
so
generous
of
your
time
and
are
truly
welcoming
to
our
family.
We
offer
our
thanks
to
each
of
you.
I
am
ready.
I
am
ready
to
get
to
know
each
and
every
one
of
you
and
to
enter
into
an
engaging
and
mutual
relationship
with
A&HT.
I
want
to
know
you
for
who
you
are,
a
beloved
child
of
God’s.
I
want
to
know
your
joys
and
your
sorrows.
I
want
to
know
about
your
family
life,
as
much
as
you
want
to
share.
Our
relationship
with
one
another
will
be
as
strong
as
we
allow
it.
We
are
entering
into
something
very
sacred
and
holy,
a
pastoral
relationship
between
priest
and
God’s
holy
people.
We
are
blessed
with
the
opportunity
to
let
the
old
pass
away
to
see
what
the
new
can
bring.
And,
when
I
write
about
the
“new,”
I’m
not
referring
to
myself
as
your
“new”
rector.
Rather,
I
refer
to
our
new
relationship
to
one
another.
What
will
be
the
quality
of
our
relationship?
How
quickly
will
we
come
to
trust
one
another?
How
open
and
vulnerable
are
we
willing
to
become
in
order
to
build
one
another
up
to
further
the
sharing
of
the
Gospel?
A&HT,
I
want
to
know
you.
I
want
to
form
loving,
enduring
pastoral
relationships
so
we
may
serve
one
another
and
serve
the
risen
Lord
in
our
midst.
You
have
been
in
my
prayers
for
several
months
now
as
I’ve
met
with
the
search
committee,
vestry,
and
wardens.
The
possibilities
for
A&HT
are
truly
endless
as
long
as
we
are
open
to
knowing
God
and
are
vulnerable
to
one
another.
I
thank
you
for
entering
into
this
new
relationship
with
me,
Rosemary,
Nathaniel,
Lucas,
and
Petey
(our
miniature
dachshund).
Let
us
continue
getting
to
know
one
another
so
that
our
bonds
of
love
and
affection
may
be
strong
and
Christ’s
love
may
be
manifest
to
Wyoming,
Cincinnati,
and
the
world
beyond.
May
you
always
know
the
abundance
of
God’s
abiding
peace
in
your
hearts.
In
God’s
Grace,
Eric
L.
Miller+
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