Change is difficult and growing up is hard

My beautiful Elaine is all grown up.

Change is difficult and growing up is hard. I started making soaps when Elaine was 12 years old and full of opinions.  She told me no one would buy them because they were boring and needed color.  I wanted to include her in my soap business and had the idea to make a line of soaps for her.  We came up with The Laney Line. I asked her to name each soap. She talked to some of her friends for their ideas and then we talked.  She decided Lily was green and pink and looked like a lily pad, Skylar was blue and white and looked like the sky, Piper was a layered soap and looked like pipes, and Gwen was pink and she thought Gwen was a pink and feminine name.  I was excited because the soaps reflected my daughter and she felt invested in them.

For a while now, I’ve been feeling that it’s time to make some changes.  Elaine is now 29, married and going to be a mom herself.  She has her own life and we don’t live in the same state.  We don’t talk about soap anymore and I’ve always liked a more natural looking soap. The vibrant colors of the Laney Line were for the little girl who was excited to help her mom.  I spoke with Elaine and we decided it’s time for The Laney Line to retire.  Even though this is something I want to do, I’m a little sad.  Change is difficult and growing up is hard.

I’ll bring them back each holiday season because I love how they looked wrapped in a simple cello bag. And if one of them was a favorite of yours, you can always request a custom order. For now though, when I sell the last one, it will be a bittersweet feeling.

Have you ever made a decision you knew was right for you, but still made you sad?

Yours in Gratitude,

Angela