Editor says ‘so long’ for now

As we are bound to see one another again, "so long" seems the appropriate bidding for now. If they let me, I'll be lucky and continue bloggin' in this space. If not, I'm bettin' you'll still be hearing from me, somewhere, sometime, some way.

It was two grandchildren and three birthdays ago that I came to the Star & Enterprise. At that point, I had been with the company six years. I ventured out of Florence County and over to Marion and became the editor here after serving five years as editor at the Lake City News & Post and two years as the editor at the Weekly Observer. Before that I was a Morning News reporter and way back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was Region Editor at the Morning News. In between 1991 and 2000 I worked in several capacities, keeping my fingers in writing, editing, layout and public relations.

This, however, has been the fastest-paced three years, but, well, that's life. I've learned life never goes slowly, unless you're changing poopy diapers and then time is suspended and the process just doesn't go fast enough.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and editing, and seeing published in print and online, the stories that matter, the stories that inform, the stories that reflect your lives, your interests and your beliefs. I believe words matter. I believe words can empower and that people, when well-informed, can change things.

As an Emerson fan, I offer these chosen words as I say "so long" for now. "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." And "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

Measured by those words, this tenure as a journalist has been a successful one, or so I hope and believe, well, at least I've laughed often ... Finally, "goodbye for now," 'til we meet again,’ "bonjour," "adieu," "see you later," and "may the road rise up to meet you ..."

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