The End Is Not Always The End

There's an old saying that says, 'in each life some rain must fall' and I've found that to be very true.

Know what else is also true? After the rain falls, something new may sprout.

That may be what is about to happen...or maybe not.

I closed my social media account, which also triggered the closure of a page I ran, called 'A Veteran's Story'. While I won't bore you with details of why I'm leaving social media, the shut-down of the page where the veterans' stories I've written were posted stings. A lot.

Those stories were printed in Monday's local newspaper, something I'd been writing weekly for the past 27 months. I loved the job, the opportunity to honor veterans who served in this nation's military from the beginning of World War II through the end of Vietnam. It was an honor to sit with a different vet every week, hear his story and then tell it to the public.Theirs is history that's not taught in high school classrooms anymore.

In short, I ended my relationship with the local newspaper. It was done because, after weighing the time and effort expended each week against financial compensation, I was making less than a fry cook. Though the local editor endorsed a new rate proposal, budget constraints implemented by the paper's parent company compelled the editor to reject my offer.

Since announcing on social media that I wouldn't be continuing the veterans' stories, two friends floated suggestions on how the articles could possibly continue. I am humbled, to say the least, to have had them reach out, but the bottom line will be financial compensation.

Print media has taken a huge hit for over a decade, as more readers choose to get their news from the internet rather than traditional newspapers; this explains the parent company's directive to cut expenses. In the end, it always comes down to money

But I'll still be here, in this space.