Saying goodbye to my LCD readers

Fare thee well
Trade in all our words for tea and sympathy
Wonder why we tried, for things that could never be
Play our hearts lament, like an unrehearsed symphony
- "Tea and Symphony by Jars of Clay"

Goodbyes are never fun.

I should know: my father was in the Navy until I got into the 7th grade, which meant I wished a lot of childhood friends goodbye in the name of the military. Kristina and Randy Pullins, Robert Gibbs, Derek Bostick: you said farewell to them, promising to write letters that you never got around to penning.

Usually, by Wednesday night, I have some idea of what I want to write for Friday's edition of The Log Cabin Democrat. If this was any other week, I'd settle for talking about President Barack Obama's upcoming meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, why Lino Rulli is the greatest talk-radio host of all time, or how the Boston Celtics' recent signing of Rasheed Wallace scares the life out of me.

Actually, this move scares me as well. I think taking a chance with the unknown provokes that reaction in most people.
We like to do things that are comfortable and familiar. Like eating at the same national fast food restaurant instead of the new mom and pop shop down the street because we'll spend money on something we know we like. Perhaps we sit at the same pew in church week in and week out. Or maybe we listen to the same radio station each day, without bothering to check out a different musical style.

There's nothing wrong with consistency (I am guilty of the above examples regularly). Unless you stay consistent out of fear.
Fear of change. Fear of possible failure because you stuck your neck out and tried something new.

Admittedly, change is not easy. I know this next job is a big risk, but it's a risk that I'm willing to take because constant prayer has led me to believe that it's something I need to do with my life. I've made big changes and choices before, with some of them paying off big time (the switches to Catholicism and soy milk), some of them yielding so-so results (going on that date a few weeks ago), and some of them just downright awful (the time I watched Glen Beck in the afternoon and the memories of cooking school).

Will this decision have soy milk or Beck results? I guess I'll find out sometime down the road. I think Saint Teresa of Avila said it best: "To have courage for whatever comes in life - everything lies in that."

Regardless of what happens down the road, I can look back at my time at The Log Cabin Democrat and find countless memories that stand out. Staying overnight to help cover the tragic UCA shooting, getting ripped online for innovative page layouts and accusing (rightfully so) Oklahoma City of stealing the Seattle Supersonics, and losing an entire day's worth of page layout work on Super Bowl Sunday (and scrambling in 30 minutes to build 4 hours-worth of design).

OK, so I don't have entirely bad memories. I had great co-workers in the newsroom and in other departments. I had a sweet Apple LED Cinema Display at my desk. We even had a stove in the breakroom, which was great for making popcorn and baked potatoes.

And I had you, my faithful readers. You would always bring a smile to my face with kind (and sometimes not so kind but still honest) e-mails. Sometimes you'd stop me after Mass and tell me how much you enjoyed reading each week. Heck, you'd even offer suggestions, many of which I'm sad to say I never got around to (writing about St. John, for instance).

I'd always try to tell you how much I enjoyed your compliments and your desire to read what I wrote each week. But I don't think I ever had the words to express how truly grateful I was for each and all of you.

Fortunately, with the Internet so prevalent, it's not like I'm going away forever. If you'd still like to keep up with me after my employment at The Log Cabin Democrat ends, I invite you to look me up on Facebook (facebook.com/dustinfaber), follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/dustinfaber) or reading columns similar to what I've been writing for the last year by visiting dustinfaber.com, which has links to those other sites as well as more contact information.

Goodbyes are never fun or easy, no matter how used to them you get. And this column is no exception. To every person who took the time to read my column, I thank you. May God bless you and keep you.

Sincerely,
dustin Faber
The Boston Celtics fan