Saying goodbye is never easy when the people around you mean so much.
As I get ready to leave the Grand Forks Gazette and pursue another opportunity, preparing my office for a new occupant has become an amazing tour through the years I worked here.
I have spent the last couple weeks trying to organize and sort out piles of files, desk drawers that rarely see the light of day and the dreaded “pending projects” folder that, in a fit of organizational mania, I actually thought might be a good idea.
Many old notes, photographs, and pieces of paperwork have sparked a burst of laughter as it reminded me just how much joy can be found with such a remarkable group of people.
From the staff in the local office, past and present, to the advertisers who it is our privilege to deal with each day, local residents with great story ideas, all the people who come to pick up their paper each week, and share a story or a smile the list goes on. If only I had the patience to scrapbook!
I remember all the fun we had together, the spirit with which we worked long hours to meet deadlines, that sense of relief when the paper gets here every Wednesday and that wonderful pause that briefly happens before it starts all over again.
So I sit here with my cardboard box filling up with pictures of my children, that set of work runners (I often thought of going for walks during my lunch break but actually going for lunch with someone always seemed more appealing at the time), my coffee cup and my favourite issues of the Gazette and Route 3 magazine.
I guess at some point this week, I’ll have to take it home. I have enjoyed the adventure that this place has taken me on; I truly believe that the journey is so much more important than the destination.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the ride and want to thank everyone here and express how grateful I am for the opportunity to have worked alongside all of you.
– Jackie Metcalfe is outgoing publisher of the Grand Forks Gazette
