Bittersweet Goodbye

In December of 2008 I walked into the KLRC studio for the first time and sat behind the microphone. I'll never forget how excited I was, and how humbled that God would allow me the chance to share my mornings with you. Twelve years have gone by since that day. 

This week I will have my last day in the KLRC studio as the co-host of The KLRC Morning Show, and it will be one of the hardest goodbyes of my life.

I’ve always tried to be transparent with you about my life and it’s ups and downs, and I don’t want this transition to be any different, so I’d love to fill you in on the details and the why. A few years ago I decided to go back to graduate school and have been enrolled at John Brown University pursuing my masters degree in counseling. You know I love to learn, and I love hearing people’s stories. Counseling provides a way to do both of those things in a way that is really exciting to me. The thought of getting to walk with people through some of the darkest seasons of their lives is something that I am very much looking forward to. As I am approaching the finish line of my education and beginning my internship as a counselor, God is leading me to focus all of my attention on this new chapter of my life. 

As much as I’m looking forward to this next chapter, I have no idea how to close this chapter here at KLRC. Twelve years is a long time! When I look back over these years I’m overwhelmed by how God has used my time at the breakfast table with you to shape the woman I am today. So many conversations, laughter, and tears. All of it good. All of it bringing me closer to Jesus. All of it reminding me that God’s family is beautiful. 

You guys know that I’m a big movie and TV fan and one of my favorite shows is Doctor Who. For those of you who haven’t seen it, back in the 1960's the writers decided that the show contained a bigger story than any one actor could feasibly complete. In order to preserve the longevity of the show they created a lead character who could “regenerate” into a new person, played by a new actor. This new actor looked completely different and had a different personality than the previous actor who played The Doctor. As creatures of habit, the viewers tend to hate it when The Doctor regenerates. We don’t like change. We want our old, familiar Doctor who we know and understand, not this new person that we don’t love and trust yet. The thing is, after a few episodes with the new Doctor, we all wind up loving the new guy. It just takes time to adjust.

As I’ve been preparing for this transition in my life I keep thinking about you, the listener, and I realize that this change is going to require an adjustment in your life. Your mornings are predictable. You know what you're going to get with me. And you don’t like change. Trust me, I get it! But just like Doctor Who, God is writing a bigger story at KLRC than any one person can accomplish. And that’s a really exciting thing that I don’t want to get in the way of. 

Soon you will get to meet Christy, who will be the new co-host of the KLRC Morning Show. And, while you don’t know it just yet, you will love her! She’s funny and deep and authentic. God has redeemed her life in a beautiful way and I can’t wait for you to get to know her. 

On Doctor Who when it’s time for The Doctor to regenerate, he always gets a special episode where he says really profound things in his goodbye speech. I’ve always hated those episodes, mostly because of the amount of crying it causes me to do, but also because it’s impossible to sum up all that you think and feel into a few short minutes. Because of that, The Doctor’s goodbyes always leave me longing for more. I realize now how impossible it is to say everything you want to in a brief way. As I’m sitting here trying to figure out how to say “thank you” and “goodbye” there are no words, only a steady stream of tears on my cheeks. 

I do hope you know how much I’ve loved our time together. It has been the greatest joy of my life to share the breakfast table with you. Thank you for sharing your mornings with me. Thank you for loving my family and praying for us. Thank you for trusting me with your stories of the ways God has walked with you through hard and beautiful things. I will always be grateful for our time together. 

With lots of love!
Keri