By GINGER LITTRELL

When my husband told me his employer wanted us to move to Minneapolis AGAIN, I swore I wouldn’t go. We served our time in the frozen tundra several years ago and both of us agreed there’d be no “next time.”

I frequently advise people “never say never” because I’ve had to eat my words more than once. With 22 moves in 35 years of marriage, I’ve had to “keep my options open,” as my friend Jackie McPherson advises.

Long story short, my husband took a job assignment last fall and we bought him a bachelor pad. The morning commute in that city is a nightmare, so choosing a home a couple of blocks from his office gives him the option to walk.

My time has been divided between visiting him (and “chicking” up his condo), keeping up with the grandchildren here, and attempting to hang on to my job at The News Reporter. Not many bosses would tolerate my zany travel schedule or workmates be so willing to add my mess to their already heavy workloads.

I was doing pretty well, sticking to my bull-headed decision to stay “home,” until Anna Jane Collier stopped by my office one afternoon. As she reminisced about the qualities of her wonderful husband, Fred, who passed away recently, she commented, “We had such a wonderful last year together…” She was embarrassed by her tears and quickly left the office before I could tell her how very appropriate those tears were.

Fred was a prince.

The conversation resurfaced in my mind as I was driving to work the next morning. Anna Jane’s words were a wake-up call for me and I’m sure the Lord had His hand in it, too.

The message was loud and clear — “Ginger, you’re missing precious time with your prince.”

There was no question that it was time to head north.

So — I will take a little hiatus from the paper and enjoy life in “The Land of 10,000 Lakes.” The city has a lot to offer, so I might come back a little more cultured. Maybe Starbucks needs some help or I can get a job at my new favorite hang out — “Savers,” a classy thrift shop where I get 40 percent off on Tuesdays because I’m a senior citizen. There are some advantages of aging!

Sorting through eight years of accumulated “treasures” in my office reminds me what a wonderful opportunity I’ve had here at the paper. As I remove snapshots, notes and other mementos from my bulletin board and pack them in a box, I think about all the folks who opened their hearts to me and allowed us to share their stories. Many of them are gone now, while others keep me updated on their continuing journey.

The list of stories yet to be written is long, but I’ll be back to write them one day.

If I’ve learned one thing working here, it’s that everyone has a story worth repeating. Each one of you has experiences that should be shared. Maybe it won’t be published in a newspaper, but it should be recorded somewhere for your family. Tell it or write it down.

One of the goals I’ve set for myself this year is to sort and organize 35 years of family pictures and write our story, using the photos as illustrations. That should keep me busy.

By the time I finish that, lose 20 pounds, lower my cholesterol and blood pressure and get a face lift, it’ll be time to come back to our little cabin at Lake Waccamaw, where my prince and I will spend the rest of our days.

See you later, alligator!