Signing off, from Valerie
Today marks the end of something I’ve loved dearly for much of my adult life.
This is hard to write.
Today marks the end of something I’ve loved dearly for much of my adult life.
Let me back up a bit…
On Monday afternoon, shortly before Ross published The Saddest Thing Ever Written, I sat down with a close friend of ours to fill him in on what was about to happen. This friend is also our pastor and my boss, so it made sense to loop him in on why I’d probably be crying at my desk within the hour. Once his eyes found their usual place back in their sockets, this friend passed along some encouragement for Ross and I in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
“You need to let yourselves mourn,” he said.
Mourn? Mourn? Such a dramatic word for a website.
But over the last couple of days, I’ve realized he’s absolutely right. For us-and, I think, for lots of you-RVANews isn’t…wasn’t…just a website. RVANews launched in the fall of 2007, a year before Ross and I welcomed our son into the world. In many ways it was our first baby. It was very much part of our family.
By extension, so are all of you.
So I’m sad. I will miss RVANews, and I will miss you. The sadness won’t last forever, I know, but the missing surely will. And snuggled right up next to it are two feelings I just can’t shake: pride and gratitude. Pride in this thing we did and gratitude for all of you who chose to be part of it, to make it grow, to make it something that will be missed.
Thank you, Richmond. Thank you for loving our baby.
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Valerie Catrow
Valerie Catrow is editor of RVAFamily, mother to a mop-topped first grader, and always really excited to go to bed.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
Thank YOU, Val.
Ditto
All this and more. The funny thing is, I’ve enjoyed the outpouring of “What RVANews meant to me” posts just as much as I enjoyed and appreciated the site & its people itself. It’s been such a wonderful illustration of “community” in all of its important definitions, and the Catrows have been so central to it. We don’t always get to hear what we mean to the people in our lives, so you’ve gotten a special gift this week.
I will miss visiting this website. I have been proud to tell all my friends that this was y’alls baby.
I am going to miss this SO much! My morning routine will never be the same :( Thanks for all the wonderful work over the years. I look forward to seeing you guys at the Ginter park library when it reopens.
Thanks for everything!
I am going to miss you all ! Thank you for all you have done for RVA! Your son is adorable! Enjoy your summer !
I have loved “your baby”. I will miss it so much. Thanks for doing it for as long as you did. Come back when you are ready.
Thank you, Valerie!!
So many thanks, Valerie!
You will be missed! Great job on covering the city schools too!
the thoughtful work you guys have put out there has left a mark and enhanced RVA in so many ways you don’t even realize — hope the pride wins out over all the feelings ♥
I’m sure you wont rememebr this, but I recommended a dress for you one time when you were first pregnant with your son. It was a moment that left an impact on me – I had recently moved to Richmond and was feeling very unconnected to my new world. Your genuine happiness made me feel like there were good people in Richmond, and maybe I should stick it out awhile longer. I’ve follow RVANews since the very beginning, and have grown rather fond of all the people who make this a website home, not a place for information, but home. Thanks for everything over the years, both big and small
I still don’t understand why Someone With Money doesn’t come along and fix this. Such a shame.
Val, I’ve only been a reader of RVANews for 6 months, but I too will mourn the passing of this wonderful, informative media work. I looked forward to it each and every day….TWICE! May God bless you, your husband and son in the days ahead. There will be other avenues that will be worthy of exploring and the talents of everyone at the RVANews will put to great use in different venues. All the best to each of you!!!