...can I say this without sounding snarky or rude? Ok.
It is nice to be missed..nice to be asked back.
Not nice that 'the new girl' aint doin' so hot, but nice to be appreciated enough to be asked back.
(And just a leeeetle nice to have a grouchy ol' hardboiled curmudgeon FINALLY admit just how good your writing was, and the impact you had, and the attention it garnered..and nice to be on the side of the fence that doesn't need approval for a change..)
Just wild.