From the Publisher...

Dear Readers,

It is now autumn, and according to Webster’s dictionary, this is what that means: Autumn – (noun) the season between summer and winter usually comprising the months of September, October and November or, if calculated astronomically, extending from the September Equinox to the December Solstice.  A season like autumn is full of change, abundance and harvest.

Well for me personally, this past summer has felt like my “winter”. As my dear friend Shalom Odokara said to me recently, “winter is a time in one’s life when you don’t want to die”. Shalom has shown me many things about the journey I have taken with my magazine. I remember when I first shared my vision of creating a magazine with Shalom back when she was telling me about her organization Women in Need, Inc. We both wanted to help women, and to this day we are doing just that.  Be sure to check out Shalom’s work at www.wini.us

So as I write this personal letter to all of you, I find – in contrast to the seasons outside - I am moving from my winter into my spring.  It is ironic that my Daily Word for today is change: It reads: “Change… the very word may pose a challenge for some. Change may be exciting, different, stressful or, perhaps, all of the above. I may wonder, am I required to change, expected to change? What if I don’t change? What if I change too much?” It goes on to say, “A wonderful truth about change is that it is a natural way of life. Autumn trees provide an example as their leaves change and fall. The trees would become stunted and withered if they held onto old, dried foliage.  As I change I am expressing more of the potential God created me to express. Acknowledging this brings me the peace of mind about the unknown.”

That was an excerpt taken from the October 2007 Daily Word the Silent Unity Magazine which is produced by Unity  www.silentunity.org

Those words are especially appropriate to share with all of you because here at the MWJ we are embarking on change and transformation.  We are committed to bringing our magazine into your hearts and homes, in an online version rather than print. The content will be the same; just the medium in which it is presented will differ.  I was at a cross-roads this summer about how to produce another issue. The cost of continuing to produce a printed version were more than my little business could withstand. I came close to closing her down. Then I talked with many of you at the Maine Women Network’s Celebration for Amazing Women in June. You all told me you would rather have it on line than not it all.  “We love your magazine, Susan”.  So together with my council members especially Barbara Babkirk and Darla Hamlin, and my fabulous  MWJ team Linda , Karen ,Leslie,  and very special friends of the MWJ we all agreed  “Susan, you will go online”. This is how we can continue to bring The Maine Womens Journal to you all. So we mapped out a strategy and goals to get there. I want to say a very special “thank you, Shalom, for not letting me die in my winter, and for helping give me the strength and courage to continue on”. Shalom also said to me one day “When it is over your head it is at God’s feet.” And that is the truth.

The Maine Women’s Journal is now an exciting online site and I am able to continue with my mission:

 “The mission is to enable women to take the action they need to shape their lives for the way they want to live. It inspires, informs and connects.

Maine Women’s Journal is a quarterly magazine now online that will be the premier resource for empowering women with information and networking to enhance their lives.

Maine Women’s Journal is now an online forum connecting women to each other and to the issues that affect their personal and professional lives.  It also provides access to critical resources, opportunities, products and services.

It is time for us to change, to adapt to the new era of technology, and also do our small part to help with the environment. My goal is to reach a broader audience, and my research in Maine and throughout New England indicates there is a larger audience desiring what the MWJ provides. It is a niche publication that was in print and now it can reach even more women on line.

I am excited about this new venture, and I want to take this time to thank the advertisers in this issue who have jumped on board with their continued support. Thank you to  Mercy Hospital, Maine Bank & Trust, State Farm Insurance, Nellies Teas, Parkview Adventist Medical Center, Maine Health, Heart at Work, Beauticontrol, Kiowa Day Spa, New Leaves, Thornton Oaks, Red Dragon Toys, Maine State Housing Authority.   These are some of the supporters that have been with me from the start.  I am deeply grateful that they value what the MWJ provides for their customers. Thank you to my great staff who has helped to put this together: Linda Gray, my sales director, and her team; Karen Dominguez–Brann, my creative director; Leslie Hyde, my Editor; Suzy Massey, my webmaster, and all the loving supportive friends and readers of the MWJ.

Come on board now, and forward this site to all the women you know.  Help us reach throughout the state, and way way beyond.

Send me your comments to info@mainewomensjournal.com

God bless you all,

Susan Neale
Owner/Publisher

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