and the leading men among the people

Only speaking of shepherds with a little "s" right now, and not the Good Shepherd. Just making sure you knew that I knew what you knew.

Working hard these past few months to be a shepherd in the absence of the shepherd. As time runs out on the absence, thinking about what that might mean for the hard work going forward. Would be easy to view the feverish pushing of the past few months as a temporary push, with the acknowledgment that upon return from the absence, the pushing could be decreased.

Beginning to realize that perhaps that pushing, that feverishness meant for the long haul. That this absence wasn't meant for me to simply push hard for a short term, but rather for me simply to push hard, the start of a long haul. To learn the lesson that shepherding is not some field trip, but a calling that goes from here to there.