Final Week . . .

I anticipate this week will be a difficult one for me as I wind down my 11+ year career with my company. Saying farewell to friends and co-workers is never an easy task. Working for this company has been a pleasure and my tenure with them represents the 3rd longest stretch of time that I've devoted to an organization in my life. Prior to this job, I had 2 other careers that ran concurrent with one another (educator/soldier) racking up nearly 50 years of service between those 2 professions.

General Eisenhower once remarked: "I want to leave this place better than I found it". He was referencing his farm in my hometown of Gettysburg, PA. Looking back at my first 3 years with this company and then contrasting it with my last 3 years, I think I'll be leaving with the knowledge that I contributed a bunch of improvements along the way. It's not a question of legacy, just a satisfaction in knowing my efforts weren't in vain.

I sure there will be some ups and downs as the week plays out . . . there can be no great sorrow where there isn't first great love . . . this was a job I enjoyed tremendously.