Country Roads the Remix - Leadership West Virginia Newsletter
JIMMY LEMON, CLASS SPEAKER LWV 2025
My son Isaac once sang “Country Roads” with a bit of a twist. “Country Roads, take me home, to the place I belong, THANKSGIVING, mountain momma, take me home, Country Roads.”
I know it’s blasphemy to rip West Virginia out of “Country Roads.” But you have to admit, we don’t have many Thanksgiving bangers.
Leaving our Greenbrier session, I thought of Isaac’s remix. Once again driving the country roads back to Huntington after two long days of laughing and learning. Only this time knowing that our next session will be the last for our class.
Every LWV Class claims to be “the best class ever.” It’s funny really. You have some of the most highly respected people in the state trash talking like they’re on the elementary school playground. We’re just one step away from a CEO etching “2023 Rulez, 2025 Droolz!” on a stall at the Greenbrier.
I don’t know how you could even rank the classes. And I’m not completely sure we would even crack the top 25. But there’s one thing I know for sure: this class has been the best class ever…for me.
This group means more to me than I can put into words. They’ve challenged me when I needed it, made me laugh when I didn’t expect it, and shown me what real leadership looks like. They’ve cared about me and helped me grow in ways I didn’t see coming.
As we wrap up the year and join the long line of Leadership West Virginia alumni, I’m grateful I got to take this journey with such an incredible group of people.
It’s fitting to me that our last session lands so close to Thanksgiving. I don’t know if my dude brain has caught up to all the emotions yet. But I do know there is one feeling that is at the heart of all the others: a profound sense of gratitude.
So just like my son’s rendition of “Country Roads,” (Leadership) West Virginia and Thanksgiving will always be interchangeable for me.
To everyone who makes this experience special, thank you. Here’s to a lifetime of “Best Class Ever” jokes.