The day has sadly arrived now
That Cate Edmonds will retire
Off come her shoes, slippers go on,
And a chair gets pulled up by the fire.
You must be joking, that’s not like Cate
She still has a lot to do
Caring for all those who need her,
People like me and you.
While all of us in this congregation,
Who have known Cate for many years
Accept her leaving with resignation
We can’t help shedding some tears.
So what will our Cate do now?
One really cannot tell
But she won’t sit in front of the fire
That we all know very well.
She’ll rush around the country
In her little blue Honda steed
Putting her foot on the pedal
Getting Formula One speed.
Cate will teach the children
Using her muppets,
Like Kermit the frog
And other puppets.
In between teaching sprogs
She will rush back home
For an hour or two
To polish her numerous frogs.
This polishing can be alarming
One frog may be a Prince Charming
Which would leave Cate perplexed
Whatever would Katie do next?
You may think this is really wicked
But she will still paint her nails
And with her husband Paul
Enjoy watching a game of cricket.
What else can Cate do?
Oh, lets be fair,
She must have some time
To flick her hair.
There is of course more to her life
After all, she is also a wife
Who enjoys offering hospitality
By inviting people for dinner or tea.
She is also known as an excellent cook,
Who does not always cook by the book
She loves to try out new recipes
Not just fish and chips and mushy peas.
In addition she has another passion
Being a lady who likes fashion
Wherever Catherine goes
She always wears nice clothes.
I nearly forgot to mention
That amongst other things
Cate is an ardent collection of,
And loves to wear, her rings.
One could go on for ever
There is so much to say
With all the things Cate has to do
She will need more hours each day.
But that is enough frivolity
Now let’s get to reality
Rev Cate has been a solid rock
To all of us; Her flock.
Cate, we, the people of this congregation
Thank you for your dedication
During the last eleven years
Through happiness and fears.
We wish you all the happiness Cate
Of a long and contented life,
As a preacher, a teacher, a mother
And a contented truly loving wife.
We would also like to say thank you
To those behind the scene
Cate’s very patient husband Paul
And for lovely mother Doreen.
So this is it now, Cate, Good Bye,
I doubt if there will be one dry eye,
We shall all miss you at EFP
Our thoughts will be with you
Where ever you may be.
Peter Peters
