It's Been A While

Wow. Long time no write. When I stopped writing the column, I got out of the habit of posting to the blog. Not having an editor and a deadline makes me lazy, I guess. I'm still writing. Quite a bit, actually, but not in venues meant for public consumption.

I miss that, so I'm going to try to do better. I work pretty well when I have a deadline breathing fire on me, so we will see how this works when it is self-directed.


Procrastination is one of my less than attractive qualities, so by admitting it publicy perhaps I will stay motivated.
Fingers crossed :-)

Of Endings and Beginnings

The weekly columns are ending, but my writing hasn't stopped, it has just switched directions.

I've been appointed to the position of Public Information Officer for the Bootheel Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. It's like being a reporter, in reverse. I take the pictures and write the stories, but now I only do it for one agency instead of an entire community. Instead of being the person getting press releases, I am the person sending out the press releases.

I'm also, eventually, going to write a book. Along with my sister, my Dad, and Michael and Tiffany, we are collaborating in an effort to keep journals about Michael and Tiffany's time in Africa as missionaries. When they return, we are going to combine our journals into what I believe will be a chronicle of the miracle working power of God in not only Michael and Tiffany's life, but in the lives of the many people they will come in contact with during their two years.

We as a family are supporting them and holding them up in prayer during their journey, and I firmly believe when we begin to compare our journals that answered prayers will leap out at us time and time again. It is a long term project and a labor of love, but I am very excited about it.

Perhaps there is a newspaper in my future here in Clay County. I love writing too much to give it up completely. Then again, the Courier spoiled me to the point that I may not be able to work for anyone else.

For now, though, the Civil Air Patrol is keeping me plenty busy enough. For later...time will tell.

The Last Word

Well, here it is. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Wondering and worrying and weighing the options. But in the end, the best choice is this one. This is my final column.

It hurts to write those words, because, well, I love writing these words. My readers are precious to me, as are the relationships I have formed over the years with the good people that read the Blytheville Courier.

When I first started working at the Courier as a reporter, I was new to the community, new to the job, new to everything. It was an election year. Talk about trial by fire. I think I drove fellow reporter Pat Ivey crazy those first few weeks with everything I didn’t know. I probably made her job, and everyone else’s, more difficult.

But, oh, how I loved the job. The newsroom was a chaotic, crazy place. You either thrived in it, or ran screaming from the building. The family that made up the Courier staff was dysfunctional. We yelled, threw things, and occasionally stormed out of the building. We loved each other intensely.

Does it make sense? No. Did it work to put out an award winning product we were proud of day after day? Yes. Most days, I would have done my job for free, just for the joy of being able to do it. I loved it that much. Not that I wanted David knowing that. Some days, you couldn’t have given me a million dollars to stay even one more hour. Such is the joy and pain of the newsroom.

When I got sick and couldn’t work full time anymore, writing this column was a lifeline for me. I could still stay connected to the job, the people, and the community I loved, but at my own pace.

The Courier was more than understanding. If I was able to write, I could turn in a column. If I wasn’t, they would use something else that week. No pressure, no guilt. It was a perfect situation.

Then I went and messed it up. When we moved to Clay County in May, I wondered how it would affect the column. I didn’t think it would have that much of an impact on it.
My husband still works in Blytheville. My parents still pastor a church there. We still come to visit, to shop, to see friends. Even though no longer lived there, we would still have a connection.

That sounded sensible. It hasn’t worked out that way, though. I didn’t count on my feelings changing. For more than a decade, I lived and worked in Mississippi County. People freely came to me with their ideas, questions, complaints, and compliments.

When I moved, I lost that connection. When I was no longer in the stores, in the beauty shop, at the school, at church, I lost my ability to get differing opinions on issues. I no longer felt qualified to comment on the things that were going on in the community.

I have opinions, quite a few of them. But since I know longer live there, I no longer feel qualified to express them. I don’t have the filter of other people’s ideas and opinions to balance mine with.

I didn’t expect that change. I don’t think it is fair to the community to live here and write about there. I could write about my life now, but that was never the intention of the column and I don’t think that is what the majority of our readers want.

In a way, this decision breaks my heart. You have lifted me up when I was down, you have encouraged me and prayed for me and made me laugh. You have sent cards and letters and gifts. You have been a part of my life for so long, and I will miss that.

Walking into the Courier News changed my life. It allowed me to have opportunities and experiences I would not have been able to otherwise. I met singers, writers, celebrities, politicians, heroes, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I found a community full of people filled with grace, humor, and the capacity to give beyond measure.

You enriched my life by allowing me to tell your story to the rest of the world. It was an honor, as has been being able to write this column. I’m going to miss it, and the people it reaches.

God Bless You.

Taking A Break

This year has flown by. It’s almost time for the holidays again. It doesn’t seem like that long since I was packing the decorations away, and now it is time to get them out again.

The holidays mean lights, and this year our excellent Lights of the Delta have agreed to accept donations of toys or canned food in lieu of payment to go through the display for Boxes of Love opening night.

How amazing is that? You can go see the outstanding light display, and help a terrific program at the same time. Thanks, LOTD. Ignite appreciates it more than you can imagine. In fact, it embodies what Ignite stands for. The community reaching out to help the community.

The holidays also means being busy, and for me, this year, that means I need to take a break from writing my column. We have a lot going on in our family, and I feel the need to concentrate on just them for a while.

I’m going back to the Mayo Clinic the week of Thanksgiving, so that will have me not feeling my best for a few weeks. Logan will be out of school, so at least he can come with us. If we have to be in Minnesota for Thanksgiving, at least we can be together.

My nephew and his wife are leaving for Tanzania, Africa during the holidays. We’ve known they were going, but now that it is here, saying good-bye is taking a toll on us. We have changed our schedules so that we can spend as much time with Tiffany and Michael as possible before they leave; and so we can be with my sister.

We know God has called them into this ministry, and we know that He will give us the strength to handle whatever we must. They will be gone at least two years; and we aren’t unaware of the dangers that missionaries face in foreign countries. So we say goodbye with both a joyful heart and a heavy one.

There are other things we have going on, responsibilities and activities and trips that will keep us busy and occupied; things that make me feel like I can’t give my full attention to writing like I should.

I love writing, and I love the support of my readers. It brings my joy you can not imagine. So I’m not gone forever, just for a little while, until the holidays are over and things settle down for my family.

I hope each one of you have a blessed and happy holiday season. I’ll see you in January.

Shattered

Have you noticed that my column's haven't been on here in a while? That's partly because of me, and me, and me.

First, my laziness. I meant to get to it, and procrastinated. Then I was gonna do it, and Karma got in the way. In the form of my puppy, Jake. My puppy isn't of the cute and cuddly variety. He is of the ginormous variety, somewhere around 80 pounds.

I write my columns on a laptop on Thursday, and they are published on Sunday. On Monday, or sometime after they are published, I post them on the blog.

Jake, the giant stupid puppy, was chasing my little Pomeranian Chance, the smartest dog in the world. Giant doggy ran by me as I was standing up and putting my laptop down on the table. The laptop landed screen first on our hardwood floor.

The laptop is shattered, along with my columns that were living in there, waiting to get posted. When I get a new laptop, I will do better for now on.

Hopefully. Maybe. And while we are hoping, maybe Jake will grow a brain, too.