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Written by Angela Kessler
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Saturday, 25 September 2010 12:41 |
This past Wednesday marked the official beginning of autumn: a season many people equate with physical and metaphorical change.
We expect and often welcome many of the changes the last quarter of the calendar year brings: cooler temperatures, colorful leaves on trees and changing routines as a new school year begins are just a few that immediately come to mind.
 While change can be a positive force, it seems most people conjure up negative emotions when thinking about or speaking of change. Certainly, the changes most of us have been going through in the past few years are not positive.
It’s no secret that most of the population throughout northwest Ohio and beyond has been weathering negative changes over the past several years as we learn to live differently in a economic climate to which we are not accustomed. How many people are coping with losing a job, learning to live without a loved one or adjusting to living in a new community?
At the Catholic Chronicle, we’ve undergone an enormous amount of change in the past year, and we’ve asked our readers to join us on the ride us as we figure out how to survive in a struggling industry.
The changes we are experiencing right now don't affect readers outright, but I do want to share some of the changes we are experiencing “behind the scenes.”
This past Friday marked Christopher Dougherty’s last day as the advertising sales representative for the Catholic Chronicle. Chris worked at the Chronicle for a little more than four years. When he told me he was leaving for another opportunity, he was sure to let me know how much he learned and grew in his faith while working for a church entity. Not only did Chris experience positive change during his tenure here, but he is expecting more positive outcomes as he continues to grow in his career.
Another major change is on the horizon for Chronicle writer and web editor Laurie Stevens Bertke and her husband. They are expecting a baby boy any day now. (He still hadn’t arrived at press time.) This is their first child and I know both will be terrific parents. Laurie has worked at the Chronicle for the past five years, coming to the position after graduating from Bowling Green State University. She plans to be on maternity leave through the end of the year and expects to return to work on a part-time basis.
As such, we have hired a new reporter. Andrea Slivka has already started working on a part-time basis and will work full-time during Laurie’s maternity leave. Laurie and Andrea will both work part time after Laurie’s return.
Andrea’s name should be familiar: she has worked as a freelance writer for the Chronicle, most notably covering the March for Life in Washington, D.C. She is also a graduate of Bowling Green State University and a skilled journalist, and we welcome Andrea to the Chronicle.
I am confident these changes at the Chronicle are positive for everyone involved and I expect only the best as we work through them.
Any time major changes like these enter our lives, we tend to hear a lot of advice from well-wishers or sympathizers. I can’t begin to count the number of times I have heard people say things like, “Change is hard,” “Nothing is constant except change” or “Nobody likes change.” It really hit home, though, when the priest I was confessing to looked at me incredulously and said, “It’s not supposed to be easy!” Indeed, how would we experience personal growth without the challenge change brings.
Even as much as we might try to resist change or even embrace it, it’s never easy. That’s usually the point when Elton John’s chorus from “Honky Cat” begins to ring in my ears: “Change is gonna do me good.”
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Last Updated on Saturday, 25 September 2010 12:43 |
