There are three sisters that are active full time in our chocolate business. Three big personalities moving the business forward, making decisions and butting heads. First just let me say I love my sisters and they love me. Second let me say they drive me nuts and I drive them nuts. 
My sister Dianne is left out of this blog for a number of reasons. Simply because she is "Switzerland". As the oldest she is the observer, she is also our therapist. She comes in the door of the shop at the end of the day and never knows what kind of fire storm she is going to walk into. She listens, she calms us, doesn't judge but smacks us in the head when we need it. Contrary to her belief she is not invisible. She is not part of the day to day scrum that goes on here. She is an integral piece of our relationship with each other. As the quietest of the four of females we wait for her afternoon visit to help bring together our day. Essentially I have just written a paragraph about my sister who is not part of this particular blog but yet she is. Get it?
On any given day you never know which witch is going to enter through the door.
It's kind of a joke. It started with Betsy when her kids hit the teenage years. Then it was me. Now it is Shelly's turn. There is something about raising teenagers that turns you into a head spinning, vomit spewing witch. Actually it's not quite that bad. We are not super professional about leaving our family issues at the door. We make the attempt. But alas, it is here at work where we see our sisters and seek their support and advice. Woe to our employees who work amidst the ebb and flow of our family lives and drama. In a perfect world we would be super professional people. In our imperfect world we are passionate about our family, our business and our chocolate.
With passion comes emotion and the three sisters have plenty of that. Usually two out of three are good. It takes a team to talk one off the ledge and through the drama of the day and back to being grounded in what needs to be done. Sometimes we tip toe around each other. Sometimes we smack talk to each other. Always loving and brutally sarcastic. That standard comment is usually "Has anyone seen or heard from Dianne today." This directly refers to the sign pictured here. Not that Dianne is a witch but that her sisters are. This generally brings the offending witch sister to task that she needs to smarten up and change her attitude. Another favorite is the phrase, "Can I speak to you in my office for a minute?". The only one with an office is Betsy. Shelly and I usually disappear into a closet or outside to duke it out. Occasionally we fly off the handle with each other in the presence of our employees which is really awkward for everyone. God help us then because Dad gets involved and tells us to get our act together and Suzanne tells us we are making her really nervous.
The bottom line in all this? Family business is difficult at its worst, fabulous at it's best. I've got your back sis, (while I'm pulling the knife out of it that I just put there), I will be the first to pull you up when you are down (while laughing at your miserableness, because you did that to me yesterday). I will cry with you, I will hug you when you don't want to be hugged. And I will walk out of this shop when you tick me off, but come back and finish my job because this business is about family. Peace. xo