Raised in St. Louis, Missouri I became dedicated to being a dancer at an early age. This passion for expression through movement carried me throughout my teen years when I majored in Modern Dance in college, which took me to Wash, DC and then the Seattle area.
When my mother died in 1971, I took an emotional time-out from dance as my life seemed irrevocably altered. After some time, an interest in Horticultural Interior Design paved the way for my next passionate interest. For many years I worked in career Horticulture including designing, teaching classes and guest speaking. I became an avid organic gardener and studied Herbalism, Flower Essences and Aromatherapy and was certified in Permaculture. In 1978 I had the opportunity to live in India, study meditation and yoga with my teacher and be a gardener at the ashram there.
Through a series of events while in India, I had an awakening that left me able to see clairvoyantly and receive guidance from a spiritual source. After returning to Seattle, I began to do `readings' for friends and soon had a clientele in this counseling capacity.
I made my first soap with a friend in 1981. We were also making Flower Essences and began to include them in the soaps we made.
I married Jesse Garland and we had our first child, Damon, in 1984 and our second, Charity Rose, in 1986. In 1992 we moved to New Mexico. I still made soap at least once a year for gifts and home use. My daughter recently told me she doesn't remember ever using any other soap growing up than what I made!
By 1996, my marriage was changing. My husband moved into my art studio, I stayed at our house on the same property and the children went back and forth. We lived peaceably as parents to our children, as neighbors and friends.
When I met my current partner, it was difficult initially for Jesse. Very soon he grew to appreciate Jack's presence and support to all of us as Jess had developed a serious illness.
In 2002, Jesse passed away at home with us caring for him throughout the transition. There followed a time of bleak emotional turmoil the likes of which I had only felt when I lost my mother at 20, compounded by being in the midst of the trauma to my children (then teenagers) losing their father. The next year was spent healing and helping my kids prepare for college.
With the nest emptied, I cleared out the studio and began to feel an impetus to create things... big batches of soap, lotions, herbal potions and little by little, as though bringing itself to life, Walk in Beauty was born and the parts of my heart that needed healing were growing into life. It's been such a healing process for me, every time I go 'to work' I feel a sense of inspiration, well-being and intuition that I use in all the formulas. I hope the healing I receive in making these products also comes through to everyone that uses them!
