Winter Musings and Haiti

I'm feeling almost guilty these days with the weather we've been having in the Finger Lakes region of NY. We haven't had that much snow, and except for about a week, where the weather was frigid, it's been deceptively warm. In fact, it was rainy today. It's been strange for the whole country, for sure.

The weather certainly calls for nice, warm, relaxing baths and showers, does it not? Remember your beauty prescription of one bath per week! Just a fifteen minute soak, followed by a slathering of body butter, lotion bar, or lotion, will keep your skin in tip-top shape. At the bottom of this post, you'll see our inventory reduction sale that will make it even more tempting.

It's been almost two weeks since the earthquake in Haiti ravaged the already suffering nation. The poorest in the Western Hemisphere, without a government for ten years, Haiti is wallowing in its own poverty and hopelessness. The death toll continues to rise as aid from other nations rush in to help. Mobilizing virtually an army of medical, food, recovery, and other personnel is no quick or easy feat. Traveling around on impassible roads is a difficult challenge. The images we see are staggering--people, including children, who are injured, have lost their families, and are just plain hungry, even some gangs and looters getting what they can. It's so hard to watch.

We might ask ourselves, what possible good could come out of such a situation? I see the goodness of many countries who sent people to help; I see record donations to organizations who are in a position to help Haitians. I see people singing to the Lord, in spite of losing all that they have, especially family and friends.

Perhaps, in the future, with the sudden international attention to Haiti, they will get help in forming a viable, stable government. Perhaps the infrastructure that may come will put citizens in a place to make some inroads into the desperate poverty that has existed. Most importantly, perhaps this tragedy will cause people to seek God and follow Him. Maybe. . . we can pray.

As for me, we as a family have donated funds, as have so many others. My business, Soap and Garden, is donating soaps through Mission Flights International, which will fly in much-needed supplies to the Haitian people. I will, on an ongoing basis, donate soap to Clean the World.org, a charity determined to save the lives of people in 3rd world countries, simply by supplying them with soap!

Did you know that soap is an unaffordable luxury in poor countries? We throw away thousands of pounds of soap each week from hotel bathrooms, and many of us throw away our soap ends when the bar gets too small to use at home. As a soapmaker, I have an abundance of soap--ends, trims, oops! bars, and leftovers that I can donate to this cause. I have to say that it feels good to make something that is of so much use to those who need it. We tend to take soap for granted, but it is in actuality, a necessity, and I am so glad to help.


Maybe we can help you, too! The ad for this week follows:

We're marching from January to February. These are the months for a warm, relaxing bath or shower! To help, this is the last week of our Inventory Reduction Sale: Anything in stock is on sale!

10% any sale up to $25
20% any sale from $26 - $50
First come, first served!
Not on my site are: Cinnamon Stick Bundles: A bundle of cinnamon sticks with true cinnamon scent, wrapped in ribbon.
$5.00 each Herbal Bath Teas:
Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey, Purely Herbal Blend, Four Milk Blend, and Relaxation Blend - $2/ea. Liquid shower gel: All natural. 2 oz. for $4; 4 oz.
$6.00 Lotion: Hand and body lotion - 4 oz,
$7 Foaming Soap:
Comes in the seasonal Apple Pie, plus Gingered Orange, Summer Tropical, and Lavender. Just $7/bottle for 6 fl. oz.

http:www.soapandgarden.com

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful, blessed week!

Pictures above: playing around with bath whip. This batch was Roseberry with strawberry seeds for exfoliation. Yummy!
My crew headed for the Bills game in early January. Brrr. . .
Puppy Beau wishing he'd been invited to partake in our Christmas brunch.