I remember metformin 1000 mg pcos when four years ago Jamie Howell announced that he was moving on from writing the column that once appeared on this page.

Mike and Donna Cassidy, then owners of the Empire Press, began to advertise for someone to write the column. As the weeks of advertising wore on, I began to toy with the idea of expressing my interest.

The main barrier in my mind was lack of self-confidence. Jamie had written so many funny and thought-provoking columns that I found it a bit intimidating to jump in after him. I wondered how I would think of topics each week, and whether I really had anything worthwhile to say.

This was one of a number of times during my life in which I took on a challenge I didn’t feel quite prepared for. As with other such times, I found that I was glad I had taken this leap.

As I began to write, topics came to me, usually exactly one per week. It became a matter of faith to trust that the next one would come in time for the next deadline.

I had a lot of fun writing the columns, and learned a lot as I did research for some of them.

Many of the topics focused on choices that we all make, including choices for our own health, for establishing good habits for our kids and for learning to be a better citizen of the world.

Writing the columns helped to prod me on to make good choices and stick to (or come back to) good habits. As I have made these efforts in the stop-and-go manner in which such efforts are usually made, I hope that I was able to inspire my readers to also try to make such steps.

Thank you to all who read my column and to those who took the time to respond either in writing or in person. Without you I couldn’t have kept going all these years.

I have decided that it is time for me to move on to new challenges in life, both in terms of the column and in terms of other articles for the paper, though my history column will continue, and there may be an occasional article with my byline on it.

I have enjoyed reporting for this paper as much as I have enjoyed the column. It has provided me a great opportunity to get to know people in the community and to learn about events that are happening.

As some people commented to me, reporting for a local paper is a lot of fun because it involves, in large part, attending community events, talking with people about them and taking lots of photos.

I will miss this, but in a way I also look forward to taking part in events without experiencing the pressure of thinking how I will write about them, and wondering about who I need to talk with to get information for my articles.

I will also look forward to weekends with my family without a Monday deadline looming.

This is a great little paper. I appreciate the chance to work for it and to contribute to telling the stories of this community.