month to write to you about the super-exciting things we are creating in the next little while, there’s still not enough room to really do justice to the beautiful diversity we are as humans! It’s a wonderful thing about this magazine, though: we have such an incredible spread of information for you, dear reader, to enjoy! While I can’t cover ‘it all’ in one editorial, we sure have a spectacular smorgasbord of information & insight for you in each and every edition. And this brings me to another point I


wanted to discuss: the possibilities there are to engage are growing within the LivingNow platforms! For almost 28 years, we have been bringing you quality subject matter by an incredible array of writers. We literally have had thousands of articles published over the years – and now, the majority of them are accessible on our website – www.livingnow.com.au. You can read about topics you know & love, & also about things you didn’t yet know that you would love Back to women & mothers for a


moment. Along with what we’ve printed for you here, there are several other ‘Mothers’ stories on our FaceBook page. Feel free to check them out, & to add your own there too, if you’d like. I deeply value the connections &


collaborations that people can make – I really believe that we can all create far more wonderful things together than


to have, a deep influence on my life. Another amazing women, not in that big photo, is my sister Mia (I grabbed a daggy photo of the two of us in school photos from the eighties – I’ll probably regret publishing it!


). What


inspirations all of these beautiful women are! And because we’ve been talking about Mother’s Day, I


we can apart! FaceBook, Instagram & other platforms are fun ways to interact – would you like to see what joy we can create together on those platforms as well? We’d sure love to see you there! Further to supporting & strengthening


community, I asked the female staff of LivingNow if they’d like to share any part of their stories with you – & several have Most wrote on our topic of ‘mother’, whether that be from the perspective of being a mother herself, or a daughter, or, in some cases, both! Some of us on the team are not mothers; so wrote on other aspects of being a woman. You’ll see Janice’s sweet musings on how she is impacted by the women in her life just below, while the stories by the LivingNow team relating to mothers are on pages 12 & 13 of this magazine. I’ve included a beautiful photo here to


honour some very important women in my life. I’m in the middle, surrounded by; my mother, Elizabeth, my ‘namesake-aunty’ Jo, & my beautiful niece, Maeve. All have had, & continue


thought I’d pop this awesome (although grainy) pic of my mother holding me as a baby, alongside my father at our small place in Melbourne’s inner ‘burbs. I like thinking about our histories; gets me revved up for an amazing future, too. I heard recently that some people consider Australia to be a ‘global hot- spot’ for people making conscious change in the world. Here’s to living into that in strength & connection! I’m excited about the opportunities


coming up; one of them being that we’re changing our publication mode. Later this year we will alter our model of distribution on the east coast. The magazine will have increased pages & increased quality & will be available for purchase. Indeed, some states are starting to pay for the magazine now, with this very edition. We’re so excited to keep bringing this fantastic magazine to you – to inspire, nurture & empower you!


In service & gratitude, Emma


WHAT SISTERHOOD MEANS TO ME by Janice Formichella, part of the editing team for LivingNow


As a passionate, independent, & highly feminine woman, my girlfriends have become a vital aspect of my existence & I have found myself with a chosen family that I would never want to live without. I have more than a circle of


girlfriends; I have a family in these women. I have friends who are sisters


to me in the sense that they have made me aunt to their children & have me as a regular member of family dinners & every special occasion. They are sisters to me in the sense that we mesh into each other’s days, weeks, & homes in a way that is natural. The same sisters have acted as mothers to me in some moments, fiercely protecting & watching over me with a care that you usually only find from parents (if you’re lucky). We are sisters in that our relationships are not always perfect, & we accept the rough edges & mistakes


that are made from time to time. We are aunts, mothers, children, sisters, & more, all loving & supporting each other & the path we have chosen as free women. The feminine bond that I share


with these friends means that we relate & understand each other on an intuitive level. Because of our bond as sisters we will never leave each other. Having chosen paths in life that have tossed challenges in our walk nearly every step of the way, we celebrate each other.


MAY 2017 3


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