It's the End of the Ward as We Know It

Earlier this week, the Bishop sat down with me in his office and let me know, in the gentlest way possible, that the time had officially come for me to leave the ward.

Previously, we'd been informed that a big shakeup was coming to the Millstream Ward and to the other singles wards in Salt Lake and Davis counties, but we'd not been told any specifics as to how it was all going to go down. The Bishop passed along the news that our ward is going to be moved into a new stake with other YSA wards. The new boundaries will be strictly enforced, as will the 18-to-30-year old guideline.

For those of you who have been keeping score at home, that's an age group that I no longer fit into, effective a couple of years ago - and "couple of years" is being polite. In the meantime, I've been flying under the radar, more or less waiting for the kind of conversation that the Bishop had with me Sunday night to take place.

However you look at things, the upcoming reorganization fireside at the Conference Center - scheduled for April 28 - signals the end of the ward as we know it. Do I feel fine?

Strangely enough, I do. Sure, I'm going to miss seeing all of the good friends I've made on a regular basis (though, hopefully, I will still see them semi-regularly), and I'm going to have to start all over in a new ward, be it my home ward or another place. But I am at peace with it. I know that the time is right to be moving on.

It's kind of the way I felt when we had to put our golden retriever to sleep a few years ago: I didn't want to do it, but the time was right, and it was the best decision to make.

And so, very soon, I'll be moving out of my comfort zone and into . . . who knows where? I'm making this up as I go along. Whatever happens, I feel optimistic about the future.