By Leigh C. Merrifield
A Stroll Down Memory Lane
HELLO AGAIN! Yes, it’s me; I’m back in the saddle again –
sort of … not full time, but trying to help out. Oddly enough it came about coincidentally. A few weeks ago, I wrote a story on happenings in my church and submitted it with photos. Then I got a text from the News & Journal Editor, Mr. Stephen Smoot, asking if I possibly had a journalistic “itch that needed to be scratched”. I gave it some thought for several days and conceded that perhaps I DID have such an itch, so I agreed to cover Shinnston City Council meetings since I live here and think local citizens would appreciate being informed about their community.
He said anything else I wanted to write, he would appreciate the support since he writes for THREE papers! I told him I might submit a Food for Thought column if the mood struck me once in a while.
So here I sit, pecking away on my computer, strolling down memory lane! Before my fingers touched the keyboard, my mind drifted back to so many cherished memories of the three generations of my family who ran this newspaper for more than three quarters of a century. When I became the fourth generation to work here, I remembered standing beside my Dad while he read my first published Food for Thought column, which was also a stroll down memory lane where I recalled being in the downtown office as a child and getting hugs from my great-grandfather … feeling the tickle of his burgundy wool sweater against my cheek and the heat that radiated from the old linotype machines, etc. I knew Daddy approved when he had finished reading and I saw tears streaming down his cheeks; he couldn’t believe I remembered so many things from that era. That was one of those “moments” I will NEVER forget!
Another memory, NOT a good one, was losing my Dad and how much I hurt because I had always been a Daddy’s girl. But throughout the 25 years that I was Editor of the paper here, I always felt my Dad’s encouraging presence; he remained with me in spirit and hopefully was proud that I was carrying on a Meredith/Currey tradition.
Then came my retirement a little over four years ago. I didn’t retire because I no longer liked my job; I retired so that I could take care of my mother as she struggled with cancer. I don’t regret my decision one bit; I would do it all over again. She had lived with me during her last ten years, and those years had been filled with so much laughter and love. Her absence is an irreplaceable void I still deal with. There are times when I sit down to play the piano and cry because she is no longer singing along with me, but at the same time, I feel her presence and know that she looks in on me and smiles when she hears me playing her favorites. In fact, I picture my Dad standing beside her listening too. They were both musically talented and there was always music in our home. I thank them for instilling that love for music in me because it is also a great remedy for stress relief.
As I peck away, I also remember my Granny telling me to never quit my job because I would be lost like she was when she finally hung it up at the paper. NOW, I am aware of just how much truth her words held. After losing both my parents who had blessed my life so much, and then adjusting to retirement from a job I also loved, I have been lost. I became a worrier, worrying about everyone and everything, which is unhealthy! I became OCD about clean laundry, a spotless house, and obsessive about being organized to name just a few of my acquired compulsive, bad habits.
And then along comes Mr. Stephen Smoot, who asks if I might like to scratch my journalistic itch! I don’t think I realized how much I had missed that. Since attending a City Council meeting – my first in a LONG TIME – my days now have a purpose and one that (I’m positively sure) makes my parents happy. Writing has again put a smile on my face, erased agonizing over things I can do nothing about, allowed me to sleep better and feel motivated to get out of bed and be productive. So once in a while you may see another Food for Thought coming your way!
I am sure God had a hand in all of this, and I thank Him for redirecting me. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for being such wonderful, loving parents and good examples. Thank you, Stephen Smoot, for offering me this opportunity to “get back in the saddle” at my leisure. And thank you to Shinnston City Council for giving me such an unexpected “welcome back”!
Although I haven’t missed the pressure of deadlines and following such a regimented schedule over the past four years, I sure have missed my close contact with the people I worked with, the advertisers I dealt with, and connecting with the wonderful people of this community.
Thanks for the memories! Let’s make some more!!!
Readers, be sure to allow yourselves to stroll down memory lane once in a while. It’s as good for the soul as laughter. Now, as I did for years, I will close with a quote for the week.
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss