Dec 26, 2016 3 min read

I have been staring at a blank Word document for more than an hour trying to decide how to begin this column. There are so many things I still want to say. There are so many stories I still want to tell. But this will no longer be the forum where I will say them, and my face will no longer grace these pages.

This is my goodbye.

I received word earlier this month that the paper has opted not to renew my space for the coming year due to budget cuts. Coming on the same day that the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review stopped printing altogether, I can honestly say that I understand the need to cut back.

Still, I will miss writing here.

I hope that the past several years have brought you many smiles, perhaps a few tears, and some opportunities to think. I hope you have enjoyed getting to hear about my mishaps and triumphs, my kids and my husband, and my experiences as a farmer. I hope you have prayed for me as I try to walk in the faith of Jesus Christ. I hope you will continue to do so.

I have got to tell you, it has often been therapeutic for me to look at my mistakes through your eyes and be able to find the humor in a given situation. Many times, my husband has told me that something I have done has been hilarious, but it hasn’t felt that way until I took a step back and thought about how it would read as a story. That outside perspective has frequently been a good thing.

It has often been joked that I have helped earn back the costs of the damage I did to things by writing about them for you to read. I’m not so sure about that part, seeing as how I know that I can damage stuff pretty well. And I’m fairly certain that there’s no room in the paper’s budget to repair all of this girl’s mistakes!

However, I can say that I truly have enjoyed meeting many of you, receiving your emails and hearing your advice on everything from scratching posts for my cats to how to use my metal detector. The letters of support you have sent when I have expressed frustration or sadness have been most appreciated. Your support of Grandma’s Lap has been amazing. Perhaps most of all, the emails and cards from those of you who have experienced similar misadventures and happenings as mine – and were willing to share them with me – have been cherished.

But don’t cry for me, Argentina. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to write in this space all this time. I have grown a lot as both a writer and a person since the beginning.

Besides, I’ll be around. I’ll still be out here in the relative boonies trying to navigate my faith, my family and my farm. You’ll just have to imagine me falling and picking myself back up again. Should be easy to do, considering how frequently I’ve described it for you.

Until we meet again, may God bless you abundantly and fully.

Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.