Sometimes the fact that the Cook County News-Herald is a weekly newspaper creates problems as I write Unorganized Territory. It is difficult when a holiday or event falls in the middle of two issues, like Thanksgiving always does.
As I write this Unorganized Territory, I am still planning what I’m going to bring to our family Thanksgiving get-together. But when readers pick up this issue, it will be a day or two after Thanksgiving.
You’ll see that Joan Crosby had the same problem in her Over the Hill and Cory Christianson too, in Tails from the Trail. They both talk about Thanksgiving, which readers will have already celebrated.
However, I don’t think there is ever a time that it is not appropriate to share Thanksgiving memories or to express gratitude. So although I know that readers will be getting this message late, I’m going to join Cory and Joan in talking about Thanksgiving anyway. Thank you Cory and Joan—as well as our Taste of Home columnist Sandy Holthaus—for your columns for all these years.
And thank you, dear readers for indulging me.
The support and kindness that I receive from so many readers of the Cook County News-Herald is something for which I am so very grateful. It means a lot when someone says they appreciate the coverage of a meeting or that they learned something from an interview.
I’m always a bit surprised—but delighted— when someone tells me they enjoyed a recent Unorganized Territory. Writing my column is kind of a reward for writing sad or difficult stories or for dealing with all the routine stuff.
Once I have decided on a weekly topic, the words just flow. I enjoy writing them, deleting them, writing them over again. I enjoy cutting a section and putting it at the top, then moving it to the end and finally finding a place for it somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I write Unorganized Territory to call attention to an important issue and sometimes I just write something silly. Much of the time, I’m just having a conversation with myself.
So it is wonderful to hear that someone else can relate to what I’ve written, or that I made them laugh or cry. Thanks to all of you who read and share your kind thoughts.
And a bit grudgingly, I say thank you to all of you who offer constructive criticism. Sometimes it’s painful to be questioned on something I’ve written or something that I allowed to run. Likewise, it’s hard to hear that there was something else we should have included. All of us at the News-Herald work hard to include both sides of a story. But sometimes there is a third or even a fourth way to look at an issue. Perhaps one of the most frustrating questions to be asked after we’ve published a story is, “Why didn’t you ask…”
Readers often have fabulous questions. I am grateful, however vexing it may be at the time, for feedback like that because it makes me a better journalist. It makes me stop and think, “Is there something else that should be asked?”
So thank you to the readers who ask the hard questions.
The same goes for my colleagues. It is wonderful to have co-workers who also ask hard questions and who care so much about producing a quality community newspaper.
Thank you to our writer and subscription guru Bill, who so meticulously works to capture every detail of the meetings he covers and who patiently records the ever-changing addresses of our snowbird readers. Thanks to our writer Brian, who is always running in 10 different directions to find community stories when all he really wants to write is sports news. Thanks to our designer Laurie, our unsung hero, whose layout makes the paper a joy to read.
Thanks to our newest staffer, Abby, who is just getting her feet wet in ad sales and writing and doing a fabulous job in both areas.
And thanks to Publishers Hal and Deidre, who keep us all going with a roof over our heads and ample treats on the busy days.
I am blessed to have friends at work to consult with, to complain to, and to joke with. Thanks to all of you for all you do!
Like the bee, we should
make our industry our
amusement.
Oliver Goldsmith
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