To the Editor:

When my wife and I chose to relocate to Southampton County a few years ago, there were a number of factors that led to our decision. Quality of life, peace and quiet were definitely part of what led us to move here. But the primary reason for the change was family.

This community is where my wife was born and raised. It is where her family still lives and works to this day. And it was very important to us that we raise our children in this place where they could spend their childhood with aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins. It is because of family that I know our decision to come here was the right one for us and, because of family, I truly love this place we now call home.

In a community like ours, family isn’t always defined by last names and blood lines, but by the caring and concern we feel for one another, the multitudes of shared experiences — both good and bad — and our desire to look out for and take care of each other.

As a family, this community has seen each other through much over the years. We’ve celebrated our collective successes and grieved our common tragedies. We have helped our neighbors rebuild after natural disasters, and we have stood firm, side-by-side, when told we must give up what is ours.

So, to those in our family who have been devastated by the news of the mill closing, I remind you that you are not in this alone. We will work together to overcome, as we always do, and your extended family will be here to help you rebuild again, just as it always has been. Family is indeed what makes this place so special and so worth fighting for.

Tony Clark

Capron