I am not one of those "social media junkies" who spends hours at a time arguing over politics on the “Twister” or “Facepages” social media sites. I do admit I look at the “Facepages” from time to time to see if anything new is going on with my friends around the planet. I will also use that as a way of communicating with people for whom I may or may not have phone numbers or email addresses. I have found that is frequently the best way to communicate with some folks.
One thing I noticed about the Facepages is that it will remind you of things that happened one, two or even 10 years ago. A couple of days ago, I received one of those reminders. It told me that four years ago, to that day, I was hired by Greene Publishing, Inc. for the purpose of writing stories about sports and other events happening in our wonderful area. One task that I actually asked for was the opportunity to invade your life every week and share a bit of what is on my mind. I have to say, writing a weekly column has been more of a challenge than I first thought it would be. Finding something clever and entertaining to write every week can be tough sometimes. My hope and prayer is that, more often than not, you have been entertained by our weekly visits. If I have been able to brighten the day of someone and even bring a smile or a chuckle out of someone's day, even occasionally, then the effort has been worthwhile.
There are other events that I encounter which serve as reminders for me. A few weeks ago, I was "out and about, doing my thing" and I found myself speaking to a group of very nice ladies. One of them asked, "Are you Earnest Lamar and Sarah's boy?" I couldn't help but smile when I said, "Yes ma'am." It warmed my heart to hear her tell me about knowing my parents from an early age. That served as another reminder that I am not just writing for the Madison community, I am communicating with people who are friends and acquaintances from before I was born. At times, I literally am writing for "family." Any time I start to feel "down" about the work here (not often, but in the course of normal "ups" and "downs"), I am thankful for that gentle "reminder" of why I am here in the first place.
Here, on the sunny side, is right where I want to be; for a long time.