Dear Lilburn-Mountain Park Patch readers,

I'm sad to tell you that this is my last day as editor of Lilburn-Mountain Park Patch.

This has been one of the most gratifying jobs I've had as a journalist. The better part of my career as a reporter and editor before Patch was spent overseas, reporting to readers back home in the U.S. I often thought then how wonderful it would be to be part of a community, to be more than an observant bystander.

Patch gave me the best of both worlds. I was still a reporter, but I was writing about the community where I live, for the people who live there and who are affected, as my family is, by almost everything Patch reports on.

My family moved to Lilburn almost four years ago, and of all the places we've lived, this is without a doubt the most diverse and the most welcoming. I felt at home from the beginning, and thanks to my stint as Lilburn-Mountain Park Patch editor, I've gotten to know so many wonderful people and places I probably never would have discovered otherwise.

I'm sorry to leave now, when Lilburn seems on the cusp of making a big step toward redevelopment. The next few years are going to be exciting, and I look forward to following the happenings on Patch.

Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting Patch. Thank you for answering my questions, returning my calls, answering my emails, for realizing the importance of a local news site for Lilburn.

While the search is on for a replacement editor, Gail Moore will be editing Lilburn-Mountain Park Patch for the next few weeks. You can email your news tips and suggestions to her at monicagail735@gmail.com.

I'll be seeing you around!

Until then, all the very best,

Theresa Waldrop