I knew this day would come, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Saturday afternoon, I will set my key and time card on my editor’s desk, walk to my car and turn the page on a new chapter of my life.

It has been exactly one year since I started working at the Times-Journal, and it has truly been a terrific experience.

When I look back years from now, I can already tell there will be moments — both planned and unplanned — that will define my time in Selma.

It has been one of my greatest honors to spend 52 weeks in a city so rich with stories and personalities.

I will always remember racing onto the court at the BJCC in Birmingham after Willie Moore and the Dallas County High School boys basketball team won the state championship.

I will never forget standing at the top of the Edmund Pettus Bridge as wave after wave of marchers solemnly walked past during the Jubilee in March.

More than any one moment though, I will always remember the people of Selma who make this town great.

I will remember the countless laughs I’ve shared with everyone in the arts community in Selma.

I will remember the work done by Beth Spivey to make the Old Depot Museum a destination for Selmians and visitors alike.

I will remember the tireless efforts of Chief of Police William Riley, Lt. Curtis Muhannad, District Attorney Michael Jackson and Dallas County Sheriff Harris Huffman to battle crime in the community.

I will remember the marching bands of Selma High and Southside, who are among the best I’ve ever seen.

I will remember the people of Selma who made me, a kid who grew up 600 miles away, feel at home.

Every single day in Selma, I met someone willing to share their story or a smile.

Life has called me away, but I will never forget the year I was lucky enough to call Selma home.