Two years ago I heard a horn blowing in my driveway. I went outside to see Mable Foreman in her car, telling me to go talk to Garland Forman at the Gazette. She said there was a job opening for a reporter there and I’d be perfect for it. The day she told me this was exactly one week to the day since I lost my previous job. While I had my doubts about being a reporter (my writing background is mostly fiction), I felt the events lined up too perfectly for me to brush it off.
Two days later I spoke with Mr. Garland. He said Mrs. Mable and another person (I later found out it was Carissa Hebert) both told him I’d be great for the job. I honestly don’t know what these two ladies were thinking because I had serious doubts about myself. But, bills were calling and I needed to make money, so I took the job, figuring I’d just work there for a few months until something better came along.
To my surprise, I actually wound up liking it way more than I thought I would. I’ve gotten to know my home town and parish more than I ever have, even though I grew up here. I’ve come to appreciate the hard push from multiple people and agencies who want to bring Ville Platte/Evangeline Parish back. I’ve met people I never would have spoken to and heard their stories and taken their pictures; I’ve laughed with them and even cried with a couple of them. And I’ve come to appreciate what a small newspaper can do for its community. I’ve seen how our stories have helped people and organizations and have helped to keep accountable those in power. These are all the reasons I chose to stay at the Gazette.
There are a few more reasons I chose to stay. Our office is small, but the coworkers I have seen daily have become my work family; they have gone out of their way to help me when I needed it, from leaving a sweet note for me when my dog died and calling to check on me when I was having a crisis, to being patient with me when I was training. Yes, there are arguments and tempers from time to time, but they always pull though to get things done, and most importantly, they are there for each other. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to work.
While I’m leaving the Gazette as my full-time job, I still wanted to work here part-time, so you will still hear from me every now and then. When I was offered my new job, I felt that same synchronicity I felt two years ago when Mrs. Mable honked her horn in my driveway a week after I lost my job. The day I informed Mr. Garland I would be leaving, Carissa suggested he talk to Heather Bogard, who had previously worked at the Gazette for 12 years. As it turned out, Heather had just lost her job that very week. Once again, the timing was perfect.
To all the people who told me they have loved my articles, to the people who let me share their stories, and to the local agencies who have let me cover their meetings, I thank you. Thank you to Carissa and Mrs. Mable for thinking of me, and thank you to Mr. Garland for having more faith in me than I did in myself. To my Gazette family, thank you for being there for me, in more ways than one.
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