A fond farewell to Lampasas and Texas

Image
  • Madeleine Miller
    Madeleine Miller
Body

After nine months as a Dispatch Record staff writer, the time has come for me to say goodbye to Lampasas.

This week’s frigid weather foreshadows the conditions that await at my next destination. I hope I won’t regret heading north as sunny, 70-degree days return to Central Texas!

Experiencing rural Texas is an essential

American endeavor, I’ve decided. Here, the integrity, capability, manners and mettle that define our nation abound.

Getting to know Lampasas has been a great gift. Thank you for sharing your stories with me, enabling me to document the life of Lampasas these past months. You have been forthcoming and gracious, and I am grateful.

As a Dispatch Record writer, I’ve learned about farming, ranching, bootmaking, winemaking, covering motor-vehicle accidents, municipal budgeting, and countless eclectic and enlightening topics that will forever enrich my understanding of the world.

I’ve learned about the functioning of local governments and school districts that boast sound budgets and diligent employees.

The city of Lampasas, Lampasas County and the Lampasas Independent School District model effective government, and my experience covering them will inform my political opinions.

I will fondly remember -- and particularly miss -- small-town honesty and goodwill as I take on my next stop: New York City.

When I gave notice to my employer that I would be leaving, I planned to seek work that would enable me to be nearer the people I love. The past year’s tumult has made me realize the primacy of friends and family.

A few weeks ago, however, I received an invitation to work at an organization I interned for during college.

I will begin working in March as an editorial assistant at Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, a magazine on urban policy and cultural affairs. My tasks will include copy editing and administrative support.

Until the Manhattan office reopens -- possibly in June -- I will work remotely from my hometown. Working in New York City and living in northern Idaho sounds like the ideal arrangement, and I’m thrilled!

This weekend, I will begin the drive north with my boyfriend and my cat (sweet and spunky, she’s my favorite Texas souvenir).

We will drive through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Montana to reach my home, stopping at the Grand Canyon, Delicate Arch and the Great Salt Lake along the way.

I will miss you. Your contributions have been generous, your comments have been instructive, and your readership has been an honor. Thank you.

MADELEINE MILLER has been a staff writer/photographer for the Dispatch Record since her May graduation from Hillsdale College in Michigan.