Patty Loveless sang the lyrics, “How can I help you to say goodbye? It's okay to hurt and it's okay to cry. Come let me hold you, and I will try. How can I help you to say goodbye?” These words have resonated with me and resurfaced in my heart in moments of difficult goodbyes.

I received notice a week prior to writing these words that my column will no longer be printed in Syndicate newspapers. This is a decision by leadership to work toward keeping small-town, local papers financially viable. It’s not personal, and I understand that the decision was made with the intent to do what is deemed best for the newspapers.

And, it is personal to me. I was shocked and so sad. The rug was pulled out from under me, and I found myself distraught with no clear next right step. In fact, saying goodbye to this column left me not wanting to move forward at all. It’s okay to hurt and it's okay to cry, but I am not sure how to say goodbye.

Many choices are available to me. Knocked off my feet, I can remain flat on my butt with a feeling of defeat. Being caught off guard, I can be angry at the world for being unfair. Feeling so sad, I can wallow in self-pity and live in victim mode. Cherishing the past, I could print my columns in an inspirational book of reflections. Or, I can get up, brush off the dirt, and do the scary, hard thing… start a blog.

My son said to me, “If it isn’t scary, then you aren’t living.” He said this to me, the one who has skydived, jumped into a blue hole at the base of a waterfall, and leaped from the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. Somehow starting a blog feels scarier than all of those combined. What if I take the leap and it fails? What if I don’t know how to do all of the things to get it started?

My son then offered a second piece of wisdom, “Don’t worry about challenge 152. Just tackle the first challenge.” Okay, who is this kid and why does he have to sound so wise right now? If you have been a reader of my column over the past six years, I am forever grateful. You have given me a gift I will always cherish. Perhaps in 2024, a published collection of columns will be available. If you would like to continue to read my reflections moving forward, please visit roxannesreflections. com.