As I reflect on my second year serving you as the editor for Dunedin Patch, it could be easy to rattle off a list of stories that demonstrate accomplishment. 

I'm not going to do that here.

Instead, I'd like to mark my second full year as your editor with a note of thanks. Consider it a letter FROM the editor, if you must. Here goes:

Dear Readers and Residents,

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: often times, at the end of the day, my brain feels like mush. 

As sole full time employee at Dunedin Patch, I spend most days at maximum capacity. I sacrifice time with family, bathroom breaks, and regular meals to make sure your voice is heard and you stay connected with your community.

I consider it an honor to provide this platform to you, and I hope that you see it as a useful tool. I have seen many of you use it to unite the community, solve and address local concerns, and all-together celebrate Dunedin and its residents. And that absolutely warms my heart.

I have learned from you in the process, too. I learned that it's natural to have ups and downs and to disagree sometimes. We are all human, after all, and we all have weak moments. 

But perhaps, more importantly, I learned from you, that we also have strong moments. Your resolve and spirit allows us to forgive one another, to work past differences and weaknesses, to stick together through the toughest trials and, at times, carry each other through them. 

At the end of the day (and I don't think I'm the only one), I look to those strong moments to carry me through the tough days.

When my brain is a pool of mush from hours of writing complex or important stories, you leave me inspired when you share the simple, beautiful stories and strong moments of our local business owners who sacrifice everything to build their success from scratch, our talented children who never cease to impress us, random acts of kindness that leave us with a feeling of hope, and the hard work, kind acts, and sometimes life-saving actions of our city staff, leaders, firefighters and law enforcement officers who do their best to look out for our safety and interests. 

So it is with humility, that I thank you, readers and residents, on Dunedin Patch's two-year milestone, for participating in this community forum. Thank you for embracing Patch and each other, with respect, encouragement and a smile. Thank you for sharing your stories, your comments, and your concerns.

Without you — your voice — this milestone would mean nothing, and together, I hope we can continue using this platform for the greater good.

With humble appreciation,

Katie Dolac, your editor