Our focus is family. Our mission is chocolate. During the holidays there is much talk of being thankful. For us it is always about being thankful for family. We are perfectly imperfect always. There is an unsung hero in all of this commotion we call the family business. My mother Martha. Or as Patty from Charlestown likes to say "Mahthah". Behind every good man is a great woman and my mother is no exception to that statement. The fact that the woman raised five children and can still remember her own name is a feat in itself. We were not an easy bunch. Like a bag of puppies tumbling all over each other, scratching and clawing our way through life she guided us with a firm and loving hand.
It's my mother who has sacrificed the most for this business. It is she who understood when this whole adventure began that it had the potential to totally absorb our family. And that it has. With her home only footsteps away there is no such thing as privacy. Her driveway is full of strangers and cars. Her refrigerator is constantly being raided by hungry grandchildren and sometimes her adult children as well. It is Mom who watches Dad limp into the house at the end of a very long day. It is Mom who catches the snippets of conversations between sisters as we butt heads over everything from ribbon to pricing.
My mother stood by my father's side and built this business with him. Together they worked through recipes that were found in my grandfathers book. She found her way through purchasing, packaging and book work. I think in her heart always remembering the sacrifices that were made by my grandparents, my father and his siblings growing up.
Mom has been retired for a while now. Except of course when she comes out to the shop a couple of times a day to check up on us. One step over the threshold and she is an active owner again. As my nephew Derek likes to point out she is like the Brett Favre of the chocolate world. How many times can you retire anyway? One thing holds true today, if you ask an employee why they are doing something a certain way and they answer because that is the way Martha wants it, end of conversation.
So here is a little note to Mom.
Dear Mom,
We do understand the sacrifices that you have made for our family and for this business. We appreciate the hours that you have spent giving to the chocolate world even though this was not your dream.
I can tell you this. It is this business that brings us together and keeps us together. The holidays are nuts. We are tired and we get cranky. However, we do this all together and that means something to all of us. We hold each other up, push each other forward and on occasion step on or over one another to keep this business going. Your bag of tumbling puppies have grown into hard working siblings who support each other even when we are arguing. I'm not sure where we would all be without this business. It has indeed kept us together as a family unit.
I can promise you this. We will always be grateful for your hard work in building the Snowflake Chocolate tradition. You will never be a lonely old lady. You probably wish that you could have a few minutes of that but it's never going to happen. There are way too many of us.
Thank you for being our unsung Snowflake Chocolate hero. <3
7 comments
Martha has always been a very strong person and a lovely lady!
I began my job at the high school with Martha. She taught me many things, one being patience.(I am afraid I faild Martha) I remember when she announced her retirement to begin Snowflake Chocolate. I cried. I,would miss my friend. But, after all these years, she is still the great lady I remember and has grown your business to the sucess it is todsy. Martha is a rock and I am proud to call my friend. You are lucky kids.