No Book Today

A Letter To My Dear Tracy Friends
After almost 4 years, I will be leaving the Tracy Press Advertising Dept. and moving to the North Bay, to be near family. I will still be writing my blog, only more consistently, I hope.
Before I leave, I want to say a few things about my stay here in Tracy.
Working for the Tracy Press, particularly the last 2 years or so, has been an honor and a privilege. We may not be the biggest paper in the country, but if values and heart alone sold newspapers, we’d beat out the L.A Times and the Washington Post combined.
I’ve worked in the newspaper industry for about 20 years and one of the things that attracted me here was that it has been family owned for so long, previously the norm, currently a rarity. This family concept extends not only to the Matthews family, but to their employees as well. Although we may agree to disagree at times, I leave here feeling like I am leaving family.
It will be very difficult to say goodbye to my immediate managers, Tammie and Lisa. As salespeople, managers and, most importantly, friends, these two ladies have inspired, encouraged and motivated me on many different levels. And I, in turn, have had the fun of watching them grow in their positions.
The sales staff is amazing, from our newest, freshly enthusiastic salesperson, to our most experienced, tremendously successful co-worker. Every day I have come to work knowing there would be smiles, laughs and friendship. Sometimes, that is the best compensation any job can offer.
Although I have discovered there is not much for an (almost) middle-aged single woman to do for fun in Tracy, I was thrilled to find the Tracy Book Club last October. We’re a small group, but that has never seemed to matter. We have covered a number of different genres and tend to agree about what we strongly like and what we strongly dislike. Colleen, her daughter Samantha and Kathleen (our head librarian here in Tracy!) have become like sisters to me. They have saved my sanity a time or two. I want to mention my girl Lisa, too. Not a member of our book club, she Is always there on Thursdays to check out our books and get harassed! When you go to the library, you’ll know which one Lisa is, by the exceptional customer service she provides. Besides the beautiful smile.
Change is hard. And today, my last day at work, will be filled with tears, and some laughter I’m sure. I need to move on, but I leave a little bit of my heart here in this town.
Next time I write, I promise it will be about books. Happy Reading and Thanks for Everything, Tracy, California!