Every new beginning

It’s never easy to say goodbye to the ones we love. However, in the same spirit, if you truly love someone, sometimes you have to let them go.

This week, three of our beloved Trib employees took the next step in their lives, leaving those of us here to do the same with the ghosts they leave behind.

Andy Cullen is the sort of kid that, to be blatantly honest, I would have despised when I was in school. A social butterfly, involved in virtually everything, cute, popular and just an all around information guru in the affairs of everyone he knows and sometimes doesn’t.

In short, everything I’m absolutely not.

But Andy, as it turns out, is a little like a fungus. He grows on you. And it was sometime around my second or third month here that I realized I actually liked the little booger (not that I ever disliked him, but you get the idea). No matter how hectic life was or how bad I felt, Andy would find a way to make me smile, even for just a moment.

A smile, as I’ve said before, is a precious thing and far too scarce in the world today.

Perhaps the truest testimony to Andy’s character, however, came when I killed the office fish (which, can I just say, was a terrible accident and totally devastating to me).

My son was deeply attached to Humphrey, and truthfully, so was I.

The next morning, Andy brought in his own fish from home and told my son he didn’t have a name (a lie, but one that salvaged the feelings of a 6-year-old boy and his animally-challenged mother) so that he could name him.

Sharkbait is currently a thriving member of the Trib family and still quite alive, for those interested.
If I’ve never said it before, thanks, Andy. You’ll never know just what that meant to me.

Jess Nall, our reporter-turned-office help, was a tough one to get to know. Often, she worked odd hours, and we seldom saw her.

She was rather quiet, too.

Then one day, something amazing happened: Jess spoke. And from that moment, I don’t think I ever stopped laughing.

She’s an amazingly candid girl, and with just that touch of innocence to remind us all what it was to be young. But the best thing about Jess is her knack for unintentional comedy and wit.

She’s the only person I know to have inspired their own office cartoon.

Jess’ caricature “Haw-Hee” vegetable stand, complete with “country pumpkins” and “hydraulic tomatoes” will be hitting store shelves near you one day. Eventually. Maybe.

And then there was Caitlin.

Caitlin Wardlow is the kind of person that you only meet once in a lifetime, and you can honestly say you’re a better person for having known them.

Caitlin has the uncanny ability to bring a breath of life wherever she goes. In all things she sees, she finds something new and refreshing. As cheesy as it sounds, Caitlin is a little like sunshine.

I am jaded, and I’ve often been known as a pessimist and cynic. Until I met Caitlin, I wouldn’t have had myself any other way. While I wouldn’t say this has changed drastically, I find myself approaching life a little differently at times. I see situations a little more objectively, and I find that instead of getting frustrated at the little things, I feel like I should take them for what they really are: a lesson, and as such, something of a gift.

I guess what it all boils down to is that Caitlin gives people hope somehow, and I think it’s because she blesses all those she knows by having hope and faith in them.

It’s an uncommon characteristic, and one I think we could all use more of. I know the office will be just a little darker once the day is done.

The mark of true friendship is not something that comes easily for me, and of all the people to come and go in my life, I’ll feel her absence more keenly than most.

So kids, the moral of the story is this: When was the last time you really evaluated the people in your life and expressed your appreciation to them for the joy they bring you? Perhaps now would be the time to start, because sooner or later, those people will be exploring new roads, and those avenues won’t always travel the same path as your own.

It’s been my extreme pleasure and privilege to work with these three wonderful people, and I think I’m not alone in my sentiments.

Good luck to you all in your endeavors. I wish you the very best

From your family at the Trib, with love.