By now most of you are familiar with the layout of The Day's new website. Things here at Grace haven't changed much, but we are working out some kinks on our homepage. If you see a story or two that looks a bit dated, don't worry! We promise they won't be there long. In the meantime, here's a reminder of the kinds of stories you can find under each of our tabs:

The Women: Biographical profiles of women working, living and making a difference in our communities. Subjects can be nominated here.

Body & Soul: Stories to help you cultivate your spiritual and physical life, including wellness through traditional and alternative therapies, fitness, the outdoors and holistic living.

Getting Out: From climbing mountains to chasing mud runs to rambling the streets of the Bahamas or of New Orleans, these stories share great places to go, far and wide.

Neighborhood Finds: Unique ideas in local shopping, trending products, what to read and what to watch.

The Men: Biographical profiles of the gentlemen working, living and making a difference in our communities. Subjects can be nominated here.

Life Stories: First-person accounts from our readers, including life-changing experiences and observations; and "Tell Me Something," our weekly, quirky Q&A, are found here.

If you're looking for a story on a specific person, click the magnifying glass in the upper-right hand corner to search our site. Or to just poke around past stories by issue, click here.

THIS ISSUE

If you’re on Facebook, chances are you’re a member of one of those “You Know You’re From” or "You're Probably From" pages; tributes to our hometowns as we remember them and commentary on the ongoing changes in our communities.

It is remarkable how many people post photographs of storefronts, commercial districts and the businesses of yesteryear: A bakery decorated for Christmas. A corner store that sold penny candy and soda pop. A restaurant known for its banquet hall and dance floor, where everyone we grew up with attended at least one prom, wedding or collation. A diner with the best homemade hot sauce.

Most people would say that they agree with the idea of shopping locally. We all know the benefits - shopping where we live keeps money in our local economy. Supporting independent businesses supports our tax base, which keeps our schools and essential services going strong.

But there is a far more subtle, longer-lasting, and powerful advantage to buying local: The memories we make when we integrate our personal lives with our community.

Try it for yourself this year. Get a great cup of coffee and head out to the cheerful little shop you drive by and ‘keep meaning to check out.’ Set aside a few dollars to get an heirloom remounted at a local jeweler. Use your lunch hour to pick up a warm sandwich for your website developer, before you send him that sixth email of the day. (I might be talking about myself here.)

As part of National Women in Business Month, we urge our Graceful readers to spend wisely, but intentionally. To paraphrase a great saying, 'if you want to know what you believe, look at your actions.'

We believe there are so many talented local people who deserve your support. You’ll find just a few of them among the stories and ads in this issue.