Dear Readers, It saddens me to put these words to paper, but our little magazine MASH is coming to an end. Yeah, it came as a shock to us, too. As issue after issue demands more and more of us, we realize it's time to rethink our goals. We've achieved what we set out to when we first conceived of MASH. It's time to take what we've learned and move on to much greater places. Looking back on that first Letter from the Editor that I wrote in the September 1999 issue, I see that my life is 150% better, richer, more full than it was when we started MASH. Let's compare and contrast: When we started the magazine I had a low paying, no respect job as an administrative assistant, I was going to community college and feeling like I was on a fast train to nowhere. Now? I'll be attending UCLA in January, I have a good job at a company that I like and which will get me somewhere in the future. And infinitely more important are the psychological benefits: more confidence, self-respect and a general sense of accomplishment that all occurred indirectly from MASH. I honestly love each and every one of you for reading our mag and I so appreciate your support and praise. It's always hard to see your first major attempt at a "business" (okay, so no money ever changed hands) come to an end, but we're ending on a positive note. I'll be concentrating on my studies, Joanna will be concentrating on her career (remember readers, she's a Voiceover Artist) and our contributors will be attempting to get paid for their precious and wonderful talents as writers extraordinaire - or maybe we'll just all be sleeping a little bit more. One part of that Letter from the Editor that stands out: "I'm much more interested in becoming the person I dreamt of being as a child. I try to have the courage to believe I can do something risky, creative and adventurous with my life." I am now so much nearer to that ideal of myself. I've still got a ways to go, but MASH brought me closer by leaps and by bounds. Thank you, thank you so very much, Kate Murphy |
