It’s a favorite movie line of mine: CC Bloom, Bette Midler’s character in Beaches, says “But enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think of me?”
We all know people who automatically flip the conversation from us to them. To start this first column, I’ll say only this: I am the new public information officer for Mt. Lebanon and in that role, I will serve as the editor in chief of this magazine.
But enough about me. I want to talk about you.
Mt. Lebanon Magazine is all about you. It’s about how your tax money is being spent. It’s about your homes and the amazing things you do to keep them charming, welcoming and warm. It’s about your family, however you define it: your friends, your neighbors, those you gave birth to and those who were lovingly placed in your arms, your partner, your in-laws, your spouse (and your ex!), your bonus children, your auntie who came to visit and never left, and your pets—how we love to see and talk about your pets!
It’s the time you took a meal to your neighbor when you knew her husband was dying of cancer, and it’s the time you thanked a crossing guard for stepping out in front of traffic to help you get to your dentist appointment on time. It’s how you felt when your kid hit that first home run but stopped running the bases to help a teammate who fell.
You are the people who spend the majority of your days creating the best places to shop, eat and relax in our business districts and you fuel the nonprofits among us with people working every day to ease our troubles. This magazine is about your neighbor who inches ever closer to discovering a better way to treat concussions or helping those who can’t hear or speak to find a voice. It’s the people who turn your chair toward the mirror so you can see how beautiful you are.
You are the educators who each day walk our children through the books that will give meaning to their lives. This magazine is about the volunteers who take care of you and you and you before ever giving a thought to their own needs.
You are the police officer, the firefighter and the medic who will walk into gunfire and burning buildings, across ponds of blood, to get us to a safe place no matter the scars it leaves on you. And this magazine is about the families who support that career choice, waiting anxiously for your return at the end of each shift.
Please tell us what you want to read, what you want to learn and what we can do to serve you. You are the soul of this magazine, this town, and we are ever grateful you are here. Let’s talk about you.
Laura Pace Lilley, Editor in Chief
lpace@mtlebanon.org [1] / 412-343-3552