Editor’s Desk: Issue Two
Hello readers and welcome to Issue 2 of Mustard Seed Mountain! Before I get into the pitter-patter of my mind, I want to state how profoundly grateful we are for the warm reception we’ve received from the community. Our hearts grew several sizes as feedback came in, and we look forward to growing our publication with your support and contributions.
This issue is women-focused, and it features solely women authors. As ideas started forming in our minds, we realized there were more than enough stories about women to fill an entire paper. There were also more than enough women authors to write these stories. Yes, International Women’s Day is usually celebrated on March 8, but why wait?
As we started moving forward with collecting stories and reaching out to the resilient women in our lives, both on the streets and off, I was reminded by a coworker that our own organization is completely women-led. Our executive director is a woman. Our assistant director is a woman. All of our projects are managed by women. This is rare to come across in any field, even in the non-profit sector where women-led initiatives are more common. That’s not what initially pulled me towards HoH-Share Inc. or Mustard Seed Mountain. I enjoy the camaraderie of a shared mission not driven by corporate competition but by love and a faith in the greater good. Yet, I can’t deny that sisterhood makes it easier to fight the good fight. In my colleagues I find the mother we all crave, the sister we want to lean into, and the daughter we want to teach to be strong. They helped me start believing in myself a bit more than I could have alone. And this is what representation does. It shows you that someone who has faced the same trials as you, for the same reasons as you (be it your gender, your skin color, your social class etc.), can rise above these struggles to accomplish dreams and improve the world for the better. This is why it is important to share the stories that women face, especially women experiencing the mountainous hardships of living on the streets. If we spread awareness and faith through relationship, we can grow ourselves enough to overcome our weary battles.
I wish I could grab the little girl I once was, take her by the shoulders, look her in the eyes, and tell her, “You can do it! You can do it! You can do it,” until she actually started believing in herself. We can do that for each other right now. We can tell our stories, share our energies, and will hope into each other's hearts.