From The Editor: December 2015
Richard Bach once wrote, “true love stories never have endings.” And so, in agreement, I begin this, my last letter from the editor, by saying although I am leaving Austin Woman, this job and association has been one of the great loves of my life and thus, will not be ending. I have a deep and abiding love for this wonderful city, the city of my heart, and I have loved being able to bring the stories
of the people who make it unique to the pages of Austin Woman and ATX Man. I have loved and embraced the mission of Austin Woman, and will return periodically as
a contributor. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with the publishers, the staff and the people who have generously shared their lives and their stories, touching both my heart and my soul.
This will be my 52nd issue of AW, and combined with the 16 issues of ATX Man, I will have 68 issues to look back on. Planning some- thing that you know will be the last is difficult, and symbolically, I wanted the issue to reflect my love and vision for the magazine and connection to the readers, who always guide and inform that vision. Recently, we began an “I am Austin Woman” campaign, a simple statement that encompasses so much of what we do. In the second feature in this issue, I attempted the impossible: to define exactly what it means to say, “I am Austin Woman,” and found that although we are indeed a diverse tribe, there are some qualities that bind us.
Jessica Honegger, our December cover woman, exemplifies every- thing I look for in a cover woman: She has found her calling and is being the change she wants to see in the world. A bootstrapping entrepreneur, she is making a global impact with Noonday Collec- tion, a line of jewelry and accessories that appeals to the individual- ity of Austinites. The icing on the cake is that she is generous with her time, talent and her treasure. She is a true Austin woman.
I also wanted to work with some of my favorite writers and pho- tographers for this issue, and all I can say is thanks to everyone; you nailed it. Steve Uhler and Annie Ray bring Jessica Honegger’s story to life. The work of Rudy Arocha and Ashley Hargrove shines as brightly as the sequins and bling on the Style pages. Andy East and Dustin Meyer capture the vibrancy of the young women of the University of Texas McCombs School of Business MBA program, and, as always, Matt McGinnis’ story on Champagne and caviar makes me want to immediately check out every restaurant and bubbly included in his article.
People always ask me how we come up with such good stories month after month, and I always answer that not only do we live in the greatest city in the world, full of interesting and interested people, but that I am so fortunate to have a village to rely on: the AW staff, contributing writers Jill Case, JB Hager, Cheryl Bemis and Rachel Merriman, and so many others, from PR friends to
readers to interns. It truly takes a village to put the magazine together each month, and I have been blessed by the support and guidance of a wonderful tribe.
The Oxford Dictionary defines “gratitude” as the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. For many years, I have tried to practice an attitude of gratitude, especially in my daily meditation. Each morning, I follow my medi- tation by watching a TED Talk or video from the Greater Good, and I found that Robert Emmons’ essay entitled “Why Gratitude is Good” (greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/gratitude/definition) was particularly enlightening. “First,” he writes, “it’s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.” In the second part of gratitude, he explains, “We recognize that the sources of this goodness are out- side of ourselves. ... We acknowledge that other people—or even higher powers, if you’re of a spiritual mindset—gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.”
As I close this chapter, I have so much to be grateful for and so many people to thank. To everyone who has shared their story or a laugh or has listened to a rant when things were dicey or has celebrat- ed when we scored a coup, many thanks for the support. I am espe- cially grateful for the trust so many people have given me to include their personal journeys on these pages. It means a lot and I hope that I have honored that trust in the best possible way. To my co-workers, who have always tolerated my idiosyncrasies, laughed at my zany stories and shook their heads at my politically incorrect jokes while trying to do their jobs, I thank you and salute you. To Ketan Patel, Victoria Milner, Chantal Rice, Molly McManus and Niki Jones, you know how much it has meant to me to work closely with each of you. And finally, to Melinda and Christopher Garvey, thank you for mak- ing me a member of the family. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with you and bring your vision for AW and ATX Man to life in every issue. I have been given a priceless gift: being able to work at a job that I love with people I treasure. You have given me many gifts, both big and small, to help me achieve goodness in my life and in the lives of others, and I am eternally grateful.
Even though I am leaving the pages of AW as editor, I will see you around ATX as I begin the next chapter. I am and always will be a member of this tribe. I am Austin Woman.
Deborah Hamilton-Lynne,
Editor-in-Chief
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