When I was in eighth grade, my social studies teacher, Mrs. Saeugling, presented me and two of my classmates with the “Saeugling Award for Biggest Blusher.”

Last week the Navy League presented me with the award for “Notable New Member” at its Change of Watch and award ceremony. Apparently, I’m still the biggest blusher, according to the very nice ladies at my table. Some things never change.

Change, however, is inevitable.

Last week’s award took me completely by surprise, and while I was extremely honored, it was a bittersweet moment for me. I won the award for my work with the Crosswind. I’m thrilled with the readership and reputation the Whidbey Crosswind has achieved in 51 short weeks. Considering our staff has consisted of me and a 15-hour-a-week reporter, Melanie Hammons, I’d like to think we’ve done a good job with not a lot of resources.

As nice as it is to receive recognition, I couldn’t help but feel I was somehow being dishonest. You see, despite loyal readership both on and off Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, The Crosswind — in its current format — has not been able to generate enough advertising revenue to make it a profitable venture for Sound Publishing. And, as much as we journalists hate to admit newspapers are a business, that is our reality.

I think the Crosswind has achieved a good mix of active duty and community news. I will say the active duty news has sometimes been hard to come by. While the Navy has been fairly consistent in allowing access to the base, it has probably turned down as many stories as it’s allowed, some of my denied requests have turned up as stories in the pages of another publication, and the Navy hasn’t sent a single invitation to the Crosswind or its local community newspaper, the Whidbey News-Times (also owned by Sound Publishing), since Crosswind’s first issue on April 1, 2011.

It is only through the Navy League I’ve been able to find out about upcoming Changes of Command, etc., and for that I am incredibly thankful. But the challenges we’ve encountered in producing the current version of the Crosswind have revealed something that perhaps should have been clear to us earlier: While our active duty personnel and their families do indeed read the Crosswind, it is our retirees and veterans that are our faithful readers and supporters who have made Whidbey Island their permanent home.

So, after a lot of thought and careful research, the powers that be have decided to take the Whidbey Crosswind in another direction. Starting next week you’ll see a new version of the Crosswind, one that will focus on the lives and needs of Whidbey Island’s retirees and veterans. Since they have allowed me to stay on and oversee the new project, you will notice a shift in the coverage, but the essence of the Crosswind will hopefully remain.

Thank you for the opportunity to have been a part of this newspaper. I never knew I could learn so much, be so challenged, meet such interesting people and be so tired. We’ve come to the fork in the road and we’ve picked a new path. I look forward to the new challenges ahead.

-Kathy Reed, editor