Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Sam Houston
FROM MY FRONT PORCH
Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.
One thing certain in life is change being constant. No matter how well-managed and organized you believe your life to be, no matter how well things are going, no matter the positives that are taking place, some event will happen to create change.
Humans seem predisposed to be afraid of change. Frequently upon learning of the circumstances that cause the change, they react negatively. They fear the uncertainty of what is to come and fret over how the change will alter events in their life. It causes people to toss and turn in their bed, eat only a portion of their meal, and become grumpy or distant. Sometimes change can be like a giant elephant resting on your shoulders, weighing a person down.
In the two years the new ownership has operated the Hood County News, we have undergone a massive amount of change. We have gone from what was an 8- or 10-page newspaper to a 16-to-24-page publication. We have added staff, expanded our operation to include three additional newspapers, and increased the volume of our outside printing jobs. Some of the changes have been difficult on the staff. They have been forced to move outside their comfort zone, change from the ways they have done things for years, and to adapt to new technology and processes. It has been a challenge for all of us, but we have made it through. But now, even more new challenges await us.
Over the next 60 days, three of our very best employees will be retiring from our organization. With those retirements, 75 years of newspaper experience will walk out the door. These are people I have worked with closely since my first day at the paper. Without question, they have strived to pass on their knowledge to me and to others. They have been committed “newspaper” people for a large portion of their adult life.
While I celebrate their retirement as they move on to the next stage in their lives, I am deeply saddened to lose my co-workers and friends. Words will never be able to express the respect and admiration I have for them, nor the love I have in my heart. They will be missed. They have made my life experience so much richer and better.
The change will bring new staff, new ideas, and we will continue to evolve as a newspaper group. It is my intent to continue to expand our coverage, and to be a bigger, better, more informative newspaper than ever before. We want to be your “source” for news in Hood County and in all the locations where we have a newspaper. We want to evolve, adapt and remain meaningful in an ever-changing world.
Over the next few weeks, I am certain my column will reflect specific words of congratulations to the retirees, and I will undoubtedly wax poetic of their skills and talents. They deserve that public acknowledgement. In the meantime, the remaining staff will be working and attempting to fill the very large shoes that will soon be empty. But we are not afraid, nor do we fret. This is but another change in the never-ending changes that occur in life. Opportunity, growth, refinement and improvement are on the horizon. My staff is ready to run ahead. The future is an exciting place. No fear lives here.
Thought for the day: There really are two lives we live. The first life and then the second life when we realize we only have one life.
Until next time.
sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260
