The end of an era

Yesterday was my last day at my tax job. As some of you may recall, I gave notice four months ago and have been working out the end of my contract. I've only been working there five years, but it definitely feels like the end of an era.

After we sent the final return at about 11pm, we went out for drinks. We reminisced, as we always do, talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the tax season. As we told our stories, one of the things I realized is I've left a good legacy.

It was humbling to hear from a number of people how valued I am, how much I am respected, and what an incredible example I was to others. The significance of all this isn't to say how great I am. I'm truly honored by all the wonderful things people said and the awards I've been given. But I do want to share why I think my time there left the legacy it did.

1. I was never out for the glory. I just wanted to do a good job- using the best of my abilities to help every person I encountered.
2. The connection was just as important as getting the job done. Many of my coworkers and clients became friends.
3. In everything I did, I tried to honor God and to do the right thing. Even when it was hard, even when other people didn't like it, and yes, even when I didn't like it.

I'm going to miss my job. And yet, I am so happy that I am going to have a huge chunk of my time freed up so I can focus on more important things. Yesterday ended an era in my life. Today begins a new one. And I hope, as I take that next step towards whatever God has planned, I'll do so armed with the lessons I've learned, and use them to do greater and better things.