"Journalism is important for how we grow."

It was in high school that I started delving in to the world of journalism. I was the editor of my high school newspaper and something about it just drew me in. When I graduated from high school my dream was to pursue a career in that field.

I didn't really want to go to college, but I had promised my dad I would at least give it a try. I decided to attend a junior college first to "get my feet wet". One of the first things I learned from one of my professors is college wasn't necessarily the answer for journalists. He said he "didn't want to discourage any of us", but if we truly wanted to be a part of the journalism world the best thing we could do was to go out and get a job at a newspaper and "work our way up".

In spite of the "lack of encouraging words", I completed my two years and earned an associate's degree in journalism and a minor in law enforcement. After school, I went on to secure a job in law enforcement as a detention officer and dispatcher. No, I did not immediately go out and apply for a newspaper position.

I married, started a family and put the idea of becoming a paid journalist on the back burner. Needless to say, the marriage didn't last but the dream for more was still there. With my three daughters in tow, I made the decision to continue my education and made my way to a four-year college to begin working on my bachelor's degree.

At college, I began writing again, working for the college yearbook - the Plainsman. My life experiences were many times the source of my inspiration and I won my first big award for one of them entitled, "Single and Surviving".

Once I received my diploma I began looking once again for employment. Yet again, the position I secured was not in journalism. It would take a little longer before I would get my first "real" chance at becoming a journalist. From that day on I knew there was more than just blood flowing through my veins - there was also what to me was black gold. No, it wasn't oil, it was ink.

The saying goes that true journalists do have ink in their veins and a passion for the craft which never really go away. I guess that must be true, because 40 plus years later I am still pursuing a feeling only journalists understand.

Trust me, it's not the money. At least not for me. I didn't have the desire to move off to a big city and become the next Barbara Walters or Walter Cronkite. I had three children and I wanted them to be raised close to family and in a more close knit and rural community.

What has mattered to me over the years is making a difference to someone. The moments when a mom or grandma tells me thank you for helping them add to their children and grandchildren's scrapbooks with the stories I covered. The kiddos, many of whom may not have known my name but they knew what I did. Some dubbed me the "picture lady", and they knew if I took their picture there was a good chance it would end up in the newspaper.

Their smiles were the pay that made the difference to me.

But that isn't the "whole story" when it comes to journalism. The good feeling, soft, warm and fuzzy stories aren't the only ones that are a part of the job. In fact, the most read page of a newspaper is typically the one where the "people in trouble (police blotter)", "people who died (obituaries)", "people who were born", and the "people on the go (community briefs)" can be found. For The Ulysses News, those are usually found on page 3.

You see, readers are people, and people are just naturally curious and feel they have a "need to know" what's happening around them.  And that is one of the reasons why social media is so very popular. Social media makes it easier than ever to tell those stories and if there isn't enough to tell, some even go so far as to make them up.

Truth in journalism is one  of the things I hold important in the world of media, but at the same time it is one that many have forgotten. They are so busy trying to build up their careers and make that old mighty dollar, they forget about what they are supposed to really be there for.

I have never liked covering stories where people are hurt or in trouble, but it comes with the job and it is important to keep a community informed. It might even be the difference in keeping someone safe.

Some of these hard topics might also need to be told because in the telling, they might actually help someone else to get through something they are struggling with or give them an idea which path they need to take next.

I have covered stories that have made me cry. Stories that have made me laugh. And stories that have made me feel proud and accomplished. All of those stories are important in the field of journalism. And all of them should be done right.

A true journalist hates making mistakes and many times will lose sleep over what went wrong, working hard to fix it however they can. And yes, there will be mistakes. Especially when you consider it is true your eyes will read what your mind knows something should have said, and not necessarily see what is actually there.

It is a very important job and the responsibility is a heavy one. After all, journalists are the ones who record what has happened. That is one of the reasons it is vital truth is their guide - so history will be documented as accurately as possible rather than being a fairy tale. It's important for how we grow as a people. A guide for right and wrong - to remember. To not repeat mistakes of the past.

Henry R. Luce once said, "I became a journalist to come as close as possible to the heart of the world." I could not agree more.