My First Labyrinth Experience

As a small business owner, mom and homeschool teacher, I'm very seldom "off."  I wake up in the mornings and hit the ground running, keeping up with my two girls.  Then we start homeschooling, and once that's over, I'm still Mom but also hustling to catch up on business matters, often working right up til dinner, pausing for dinner and to put the girls to bed, then getting back to work, often until 11:00 at night.

Today, I was invited to be "off."  I've recently met a lady on Twitter named Sarah who invited me to join her to walk her church's labyrinth this morning.  How wonderful, both to meet this new friend and to enjoy 30 minutes of time "off" to me and "on" to God!  I wrote about it on my religious blog; this is the repost.

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I had a fabulous spiritual experience this morning. My new friend Sarah invited me to join her at Church of the Servant Episcopal Church in Wilmington to walk the labyrinth. While I was familiar with this spiritual practice, I'd never experienced it. 

Labyrinth - Photo courtesy of Unity Christian Church

If you blow the picture up and trace it, you'll see that there are no dead ends to the labyrinth; the line leads to the center, and after savoring time in the center to pray and meditate, the labyrinth then leads sojourners back out to the outer edge of the circle. When walking towards the center, sojourners - for, yes, the labyrinth represents a journey - take the opportunity to clear their hearts and minds, enabling God to speak.

As I walked the labyrinth, there were some things I discovered, as well as some things the Holy Spirit revealed to me.

Walking the labyrinth forced me to look down at my path.  As I walked the labyrinth, I had to keep my eyes down so I could see where I was going. When I tried to look at other sojourners or enjoy the beautiful sanctuary, I risked getting off my path. The same holds true for our Christian walk. So long as we're focused on what we're doing and what we're supposed to be doing, then we will find our way staying true to our spiritual paths.

I didn't walk the labyrinth alone, any more than I walk this Christian journey alone. Yet, my walk is my own. As I walked the labyrinth, I followed, I led, occasionally I walked beside another sojourner, I may have, at times, met someone on the walk and once, I had to step aside so someone who was just starting the labyrinth could pass.

My mind could not fill with God until I emptied it of stuff.  In this case, I don't mean bad or worrisome stuff; I mean all stuff, even happy. Right before walking the labyrinth was the first time Sarah and I had met in person, and the very first thing we said to each other was the other's name as a question, and in perfect sync. Obviously, with our names differing by just one letter, it was rather amusing. Again, a happy thought, but still one that created mental "noise" and kept me from hearing God as I should.

When I arrived at the center of the labyrinth, my mind was clear, open and being deliciously filled with God. This may sound bad, but I could enjoy a prayer free of my children (my older daughter and I pray together twice a day, with her daddy joining us at bedtime prayers). This children-free time with God enabled me to pray just for what I wanted to pray. I didn't feel compelled to list all of her sick friends (most of whom are probably well on the road to recovery by now). It was, plain and simply, my Mommy time with God. No, it was my WOMAN time with God, a daughter taking quiet respite time hanging with her Father. As I walked back out of the labyrinth, I felt lighter, calmer and less stressed.

Have you ever walked the labyrinth? What was your experience of it?

Church of the Servant Episcopal Church is located on Oriole Drive in Wilmington, about 1/3 mile down on the left. The labyrinth is open the third weekend of each month on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Video: The Economic Ramifications of Safe Cosmetics Act

A little over a month ago, I posted my reasons for opposing the Safe Cosmetics Act; you can read that article here.  I have no problem with safe cosmetics; that's why my colleagues and I make our own as much as possible, and we make them according to cGMPs (Current Good Manufacturing Practices), as set forth by the FDA.  In this video, I discuss how the passing of the Safe Cosmetics Act (H.R. 5786) would decimate thousands of small businesses.  It's almost eleven minutes long, so go ahead and grab a cuppa before watching.


Please, if you haven't already done so, contact your Representatives and Senators and tell them that you oppose the Safe Cosmetics Act.

I Stand Corrected

After writing this post regarding "illegal" pesticides in the form of bug repellents - all natural ones that haven't been tested by the FDA or the EPA - a newish friend Lisa, co-CEO of Personal Care Truth, messaged me with some great information regarding these products.

I'd found some - what I'd thought was good - information on a supplier's website.  This lady is smart, heavily involved with battling industry-crippling legislature and a highly reputable source.  I didn't realize she was posting somewhat fear-related information, and I don't know if it's out of ignorance or an attempt to crush a competitor - hers or someone else's.  Well, I quoted that source and even linked to her articles on my website.  Now I feel like a fool.

The truth?  The EPA has a list of ingredients that are considered exempt from testing.  These not only include the inert ingredients I use to make up the base for my bug repellent sticks, but also the essential oils that are the active, bug repelling ingredients in them.  But then there's that pesky other agency, the FDA with its own set of rules and regulations.  A repellent is a drug; the secret around it is not labeling it as such.  Not a problem.

In conclusion, all natural bug repellents are much, much safer than commercially prepared ones containing extra chemicals, including DEET.  If they're prepared according to the cGMPs established by the FDA and labeled according to the guidelines set forth by both the FDA and the EPA, then these products are ideal for helping keep children and adults bite-free and safer from the diseases that mosquitoes transmit.

Want some awesome, totally safe, all natural bug repellent?  You can get yours here!  The bugs are still out there annoying us, so take care of 'em!

Lessons in Leadership from my Six-Year-Old Daughter

Originally typed 29 July 2010

Each day, my girls and I walk at least a mile-and-a-half.  Well, I walk, the baby rides in her stroller and my older daughter who's six rides her bike.  She likes to be the leader, and since she tends to ride on my heels, I let her.  Walking with her has taught me a few valuable lessons in leadership.

(1)  A good leader will make firm decisions.  We take turns deciding which route through the neighborhood we'll take, and when it's her turn, she doesn't waffle; she says, "Let's start at the cul de sac today."

(2)  A good leader trusts that those she's leading will follow her.  My daughter wouldn't be "leading" if I were to strike off in the other direction.

(3)  A good leader will accept direction from her followers.  Even though my daughter may be leading us on our walks, she listens when I holler, "Car!" which is our code for "get to the side."

(4) She respects differences of opinion.  Usually her little legs wear out before mine do, so she respects my desire to continue while she finds something else to do.

Who's been an unlikely leader for you?  What did they teach you?

What's the Deal About Pesticides?

There are many soapmakers and cosmetic manufacturers out there who make all natural bug repellents.  These are products in either spray or solid form that repel bugs, normally made up of an all natural blend of alcohol and essential oils (for the sprays) or a butter/wax/oil blend with essential oils (for the sticks).  They're generally fabulous products - all natural, DEET free, safe to use on everyone from babies to the elderly.  I know, because I used to make and sell them; now I only make them for our own use.

Honestly, it broke my heart giving up this product.  It was a phenomenal seller and I couldn't keep it in stock during the Spring and Summer months.  So, if it was such a great product and such a fabulous seller, why did I discontinue it?

I promised myself and my customers that, no matter what, I would run my business legally and ethically, abiding by the matters of my faith and the law of the land.  As a cosmetic and soap manufacturer and small business owner, then I'm bound by the guidelines and laws of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (regulates plain ol' soap), the Food & Drug Administration (regulates cosmetics), the North Carolina Department of Revenue (for obvious reasons) and the Internal Revenue Service (again, for obvious reasons).  This means that I make my products in the safest way possible, abide by the guidelines for cGMPs (current Good Manufacturing Practices) and adhere to what the FDA says I can and cannot sell, given my level of manufacturing.

The bottom line is, I discontinued Go Away Bugs! because the FDA considers bug repellents to be drugs, and the EPA regulates them as pesticides, even though they repel, not kill.  This means that bug repellents, even all natural ones, have to undergo extensive - and very expensive - testing, both by the FDA as drugs and by the EPA as pesticides.  The EPA tests alone run in the range of $12,000.00, which I simply can't afford. 

Still, other cottage micromanufacturers continue to make and sell these.  Considering their prices are reasonably low and their exposure is small, it's a safe bet that they have not had these products tested, leaving the consumer to wonder, Exactly how safe is this product?  Just because it's all natural does not ensure or guarantee a product's safety.  Over against the looming monster of the Safe Cosmetics Act and the microscope under which all of us bath and body makers are, such careless, UNLAWFUL practices just underscore the public's doubt about the safety of all of our products.

For me, it's not worth $5.00 a tube to damage the rest of my business or to harm this microindustry as a whole.  While my product is safe and effective, as a responsible business owner, it's up to me to protect not only the integrity of my company, but the integrity of my industry as well.