Jill's Journal: Dreams do come true
By:
Jill Meier, Journal editor
It was a year ago about this time that I sat down to type my very first “Jill’s Journal.” The headline on that column was titled, “Inspired by the word.” Tears lined my eyes as I wrote that column. But they weren’t tears of sadness. The waterworks were tears of joy – the result of realizing a dream come true – a dream that honestly, I’d never imagined until life circumstances presented the opportunity in October 2016.
It was a week of heartache and hardship. I learned early on Monday morning that a longtime friend of mine had passed away the night before as the result of a brain aneurysm. The next day, I learned my editor position of 13 years was being eliminated. Wednesday came and went without much hoopla. And then Thursday, a neighbor in my apartment building had some strong words with me.
As tough of a week as it had been, by Friday, all I really wanted to do was crawl up on the couch and cry. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I still had a job to do – at least for a few months - and as a member of the Brandon Community Foundation Board, I had long ago committed to helping out at the organization’s annual fundraiser, “Oak & Vine."
I arrived the same time as two of Brandon Valley Media Group’s future investors had, and as the three of us walked toward the venue, I was asked how life was going. I shared what had all unfolded earlier that week, and just as we reached the door, I was told, “I’ll back you.”
Word spread throughout the room that night and months later, BVMG was born.
While it wasn’t easy to see the sunshine through the clouds that week, it was months later that I realized this was the path the good Lord meant for me to take. He connected me to people who believed in my dream, the dream of providing our Brandon Valley family with locally-focused news and advertising products.
And for health reasons, my mom needed me during that time of unemployment. But again, it was months later that I realized this was God’s plan all along.
We’ve had some hills to climb in our first year. But anything well worth working for isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s all about the journey we take – the uphill battles we fight and the successes – big and small - that we celebrate.
The uphill battles have been minimal, but a battle is a battle, and now with 52 issues of the Brandon Valley Journal and Brandon Valley Trader in the books, our battles are fewer and fewer.
Again, it hasn’t been easy, especially in our first months of publication. About every two weeks, I was on the hunt for an advertising sales manager. Just moments after I’d climbed down from a ladder to take a mass photo of every employee on the Brandon Valley School District payroll, Jeremy Risty asked me how business was going despite the ongoing turnover in that position.
I probably put on a brave face. I did that a lot over our first months in publication.
“That’s kind of funny, you should write a column about that,” he encouraged.
I never wrote that column.
Instead, one by one, I brought in a staff of people who truly care about our weekly mission to keep you in the know of all things important to our Brandon/Valley Springs coverage area. Erin Harris, who became Erin Ver Mulm when she exchanged “I do’s” this past Saturday with husband, Jeremy, and our inquisitive – and sometimes quirky – staff writer, Jamie Hult, have been with me from the very start. Erin is the talent behind the design of advertisements and our very first Brandon Visitor Guide we produced this past May.
Besides her creative ways, Erin helps to keep our scheduled advertising on track, and is always eager to help carry out whatever crazy idea I come up with next.
Jamie and I were previous co-workers. While I was serving as the editor the now-defunct Garretson Weekly, she was editing sister publications in Tea and Harrisburg. I was excited to see a familiar name on the resume she submitted. I knew she was a talented writer and shared my same passion for community journalism. Jamie’s passion can sometimes be challenging, but as we all know, there are merits to being challenged. It can lead us to “think outside the box” or improve whatever’s at hand.
Lisa Hove is our office manager. She’s the second woman to fill the position. Jenna Kasse parted ways when she and her family relocated to Huron. Lisa literally joined our staff on a moment’s notice, and again, I appreciate her willingness to tackle whatever is put before her.
And Geoff Olson, our advertising sales manager, is the newest member of the BVMG family. He’s the fifth individual to represent us in this capacity, and has been eager to be involved in various community endeavors. Geoff is a Brandon Valley High School alum and honestly has a sincere love for coming back to work in a community where he grew up.
Before I sat down to write this week’s installment of “Jill’s Journal,” I dug out volume 1, issue 1 of the Brandon Valley Journal. In that first column, I talked about the many decisions – good and bad – that had to be made and the countless sleepless nights I endured when my brain just wouldn’t shut off.
There were times – many, many times – that I questioned if the formation of Brandon Valley Media Group was a good idea or not. There were many days when it was “tough,” “confusing” or “overwhelming”. But as I wrote a year ago, the tough, confusing and overwhelming days were out-shadowed by positive, uplifting moments. As I wrote then, I had hundreds – literally hundreds – of moments of encouragement when I needed it most. They came in the aisles of Sunshine. They happened at the post office, at the bank, at church, as I attended events and snapped pictures from the sidelines and even the bar. They came in Facebook posts, text messages, phone calls, face to face talks, emails and even the old-fashioned way, handwritten notes and letters.
Just as I said then, I’ve cherished them all. In fact, they’re piled up in a basket that sits on a shelf in my office. One of the handwritten notes I received, however, took up immediate residency on the bulletin board next to my desk.
“Glad you’re back, Jill! Give ‘em hell!” Dale Carstens wrote on a notepad-sized sheet of paper.
It’s funny to think that seven simple, little words – when all strung together – could be so inspiring.
But they were, and continue to do so as we embark on the second year of a dream realized.
