“Coming Home”

I’ve often heard it said, and you probably have to, that our young folks have to leave Jackson County to find good paying jobs. It is said, and it’s fairly accurate that our rural county does not have a lot of industry and that forces our young folks to have to move away to set up shop so to speak. In all of these comments and thoughts it is almost implied that to be “successful” one must move away from our fair little community.

I won’t dispute that well paying jobs or highly skilled industry are not in abundance in Jackson County. But in this week’s Times our Yesteryear feature is about a young man from our county who went off to school, got a law degree and has returned to Jackson County to hang out his shingle.

As I talked with Ladray Gilbert about why he chose to return to Jackson County it once again reminded me of the choices that we all have to make about where we are going to live our lives and what factors go into making those decisions.

It reminded me of that time in my life when I left Jackson County to live in far off Tallahassee. And while Tallahassee was a good place to live, for me and my wife it was not home. So after six years of city life we made the decision to move back home. That was almost 20 years ago. I know that Jackson County is not a perfect place and yes there are occasions when I allow my mind to wonder about how our lives would have been different if we had stayed in Tallahassee. But I know without any hesitation that it was the right decision for our family.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not knocking those folks that chose to leave and not return to live here for economic reasons. I have friends that likely would not be able to make the same kind of living in their chosen field if they lived in Jackson County. Some would not even be able to make any kind of living if they lived here. Moving home meant some sacrifices for us. My wife’s degree in Interior Design was almost useless in Jackson County. She had to work out of her field and while doing so went back to school to get a degree in counseling and psychology. My sacrifices were much less dramatic. I simply had to live without a good chicken wing restaurant and my USTA tennis league.

My point is that we all have choices to make and some have made the choice to move away while some of us have made the choice to live in Jackson County. So in my book you don’t have to leave Jackson County to make a living. Simply Put, a person can choose to stay or come home and still live the good life.



From the Front Porch: Coach said don’t corner something that you know is meaner than you.