Friday, May 22, 2009

Halo (hello) from Holland.

Dear friends and loved ones,

I arrived here safe and sound. Yesterday was my first full day in the beautiful city of Almere. It was also a holiday and many stores were closed.

I joined my sister, Dawn, and Marc, her husband in my first 5K bicycle ride. It was great! The scenery is glorious. The only bad part is that on our way back, I took a roll on the bike. Yes, I dumped it! I’m sure my sister and my BIL must have thought that I was trying show out by demonstrating how to be a real stunt woman. Actually, I must admit that I managed to fall with style, gracefully. Well, as gracefully as anyone could in the situation. The fall took the wind out of me and I have bruising. Thankfully, nothing was broken (not even my glasses) and sustained only a tiny skinned finger.

This morning I went for a walk. The crisp fresh air was incredible. OMG, my only regret was that I didn’t have a camera. I saw dozens of people walking their pets and lots of walkers without pets. Joggers and cyclers abound. Everyone has the most lovely yards saturated with plants and flowers. Picture perfect homes are more than abundant in this neighorhood.

I would have posted earlier, but I was in too much pain yesterday to do anything except to stay moving so I wouldn’t be so stiff. Last night with the help of a hot European bath along with the aid some anti-inflammatories, I can at least move, but I’m still very sore.
I’ll post again soon,

Sheila, the not-so-good stunt girl

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Depature Update

Recently, I have enjoyed the visit of my daughter, Marcia. It was a great week for us. She hasn’t seen her brother in four years. Marcia lives in Seattle and her brother, Ziggy, was living in NY. We accomplished a great deal of inventorying and packing.

I also obtained my international drivers license. Meanwhile, I’m learning more Dutch. More on that later.

Keep watching and listening,
Sheila

Monday, April 6, 2009

The FLING WAS GREAT!

Wow! What a wonderful weekend I had at the Georgia Spring Fling. I learned a lot from Donna Maria from the other presentations. I didn’t vend, but I did deliver preorders to the Fling. Thank you to everyone who ordered.

Both my son and daughter are here. This is the first time that all three of us have been together in at least four years. Diane, my daughter, will be here for only a week before she goes back home to Seattle, WA. My son, Ziggy, who moved here from NY, will be learning and working the business here. Together we will be busting it to get enough inventory to get me started. We have much to do in order to pack me out for the “last time”.

I have already packed over 1000 bars of soap!

Busy me,
Sheila

Sunday, March 29, 2009

News local and abroad

Hello Friends,

I'm so glad that my friends motivate me so much! It seems that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Often we go through life constantly surrounded by opportunities cleverly disguised as problems.

We are blessed in this nation. Many of us are able to, and enjoy living well above the standard of living which our parents or grandparents may have had. We daily do things our grandparents may have only dreamed of in their wildest imaginations. Cell phone technology, coast-to-coast travel for a few hundred dollars, imported food - often at less cost than local produce — these are but a few examples.

Yet at the same time, these changes bring with them challenges and risks. For example, "outsourcing" is a password/catchphrase that has come to mean "your job is going to China, where we can make the junk we sell to you cheaper, and sell it at greater profit, and reward the executives with obscene compensation packages." Meanwhile, families who've lost their jobs wonder where their next mortgage payment will come from, while their elderly parents struggle with the question 'do I buy medicine or food'?

We all strive for balance in our lives. We strive for balance personally and professionally.

Our present economic climate has brought some businesses to a crawl, while others have totally vanished. Those remaining are being transformed and perhaps even growing stronger. And so it is with my company that God has so richly blessed, Synergy Solutions (also known as Synergy Scents and Synergy Supplies). And the most expanded version, Synergy Spa and Supplies.

After nine years of operations, product expansion, marketing, research and development, and at what seemed a wonderful time, we expanded our business by combining a significant part of our manufacturing and retail sales into one location in a new shopping center near a rapidly growing area. Then, the effects of the economic slowdown came in full force. The shopping center, anchored by two large national retail sales stores (grocery & pharmacy), was almost at capacity. Now, numerous small business owners have departed, some filing bankruptcy, myself included.

That does NOT mean Synergy Solutions is out of business. As I said, we are being transformed. Part of that transformation includes an increased concentration on the development of our European business. Synergy Solutions has accounts in Holland, where I also have family.

As a Christian, I have hope beyond this life. Yet my faith shares a hope for this life as well. It is in that hope that I operate.

A Registered Nurse friend of mine spent most of the last year in Fresno, CA. Though he has since returned to Huntsville, AL, I recall a particular conversation we had before he decided to move back. In the conversing he asked me, "Do I stay, or do I go?" Meaning, does he remain in CA, or move back to good ‘ol Alabama! Well, that’s just a silly question anyway. I’m mean who wouldn’t want to live in out beautiful state?

After we spoke his question began burning within me. And I began to ask myself the same question, "Do I stay, or do I go?"

Reflecting upon my friend's question, I have decided - for a period of time - to go to Holland to be with family, while my son and his family are moving here to maintain some operations of Synergy Solutions at home. Having started Synergy Solutions as a home-based business, we are only returning to our basic foundations, our roots.

I have been blessed to develop wonderful business and personal relationships with so many. A daily devotional guide recently shared this, and I thought it appropriate to this topic: "After I had given a talk entitled "We are tenants and debtors," a businessman approached me to say I had taken things too far in attributing everything, even success in business, to God. He gave God credit for the initial capital with which he had started his business, but he took credit himself for the success of his enterprise. I explained to him that God gives us the power to acquire wealth and the power to succeed and enlarge our assets. "Everything is a loan," I said. "There is nothing we have that we did not receive, nothing that we can 'brag' about in this world." The very life we live is a gift. We are stewards."

You, our retail and wholesale clients, will continue to receive the highest quality, all-natural, hand crafted products and ingredients - many which are not available elsewhere - along with the service you have come to expect from us.

Through the Internet, I will be able to continue to be involved in the business operations, and to communicate with you all through e-mail and our website, www.TheSynergy.com.

As I first mentioned, we are blessed. Because of, and with these blessings, we are to bless others. I trust my products have blessed you, and I know you all have blessed me. I look forward to returning with a reinvigorated product line, and business operations!

Highest Regards to you all!

Sheila Stewart
Owner
Synergy Solutions