When
veteran publishing executive, Johnnie Godwin, 68, was downsized in 1993, he
saw himself 'retired' from a job but not from life.
Fortunate to depart with
"enough package that I didn't really have to work," he and wife,
Phyllis, took a year-long sabbatical, their first opportunity to rest and
find new perspectives. Then, Godwin rebounded strongly as consultant,
columnist and author of faith-based motivational books. Godwin stays
fit with a daily routine that includes a three mile walk with Phyllis,
free-weights, sit-ups six days a week, and racquet ball weekly. He
also attributes his good health and well-being to a "value system [that]
includes strong religious values" coupled with friends from all faiths and
backgrounds.
"Downsizing came as a shock
to me because I was a corporate officer with excellent marks and
relationships...It came at least seven to ten years before I planned to
retire in the sense of leaving that job to move into new careers and other
areas of leisure, work and productivity. What seemed a disaster was
just an early blessing. When I got out of the corporate cycle, I
soared like an eagle and am still enjoying that experience. The famed
Quaker Elton Trueblood wrote, and also told me personally, 'All chapters of
life are good, and it's good to know in which chapter you're living.
I'm living in life's last chapter, and it's the best of all.
"Writing life's next chapter,
I did international consulting for the Evangelical Christian Publishers
Association for three years, wrote a newspaper column titled 'Words and
Things' for
The
Hendersonville Star News (Hendersonville, TN) for nine year, and
became interim director of a publishing house in
Birmingham."
In this period, Godwin also
penned
LIFE'S BEST CHAPTER: RETIREMENT (New Hope Publishers;
Birmingham, AL: 2000),
HOW TO RETIRE WITHOUT RETREATING~Getting Your Ducks in a Row for a
Meaningful Retirement (Barbour Pub. Inc., Uhrichsville, OH:
2004), among others. His most
recent release is SYZYGY: Living a Powerfully Aligned Life
(Chalice Press, St. Louis, MO: 2005. He is co-author, with wife, Phyllis
Godwin and
Karen
Dockrey, of
THE STUDENT BIBLE DICTIONARY, reissued by
Barbour
Publishing, Inc. in 1998, which has sold over 400,000 copies.
Godwin explains his latest title: "Syzygy (SIZZ-uh-jee)
is an English word you'll find in any collegiate dictionary--usually
with reference to the alignment of two or more celestial bodies.
However, the literal meaning and one given in more detail in larger
dictionaries has to do with 'yoked together.'" SYZYGY
(the book) is about relationships, a subject Godwin knows something about.
"Phyllis and I own 56 acres
22 miles away [from home] and have a small two-story retirement cabin there.
We cut and split our own firewood, hike, explore our cave that goes 3000
feet back, and enjoy the wild life. I continue to consult other authors on
their publishing, and I've done publishing consulting for a number of
publishing companies. We had three sons who married and gave us eight
grandchildren. We enjoy family immensely.
"Balance is one of the keys
we strive for in a life of both SYZYGY and SYNERGY. Basically, syzygy
means yoked together, and synergy means work together: The first is more
important than the latter because it is foundational: relationship
first, then action and working together. This is true in every sphere
of life, and that's what my new book is about." The Godwins have been
married 49 years.
"We plan to
celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary with a sabbatical during 2006 --
which doesn't mean indulgence but a productive year that leans toward
leisure even while we'll do some work. Phyllis has done a nursing home
ministry each week for over thirty years, and teaches ESL -- which she's
done for over twenty years. We're headed to Japan in September for three
weeks: one of which will be with her former students and their families; the
other two weeks, we'll be part of a mission trip group to work with a
missionary couple in Saitama Prefecture."
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