Weaving Dreams: The Joy of Work, The Love of Life

Chapter 38. Grateful to You: People Make Longaberger What It Is

When I look back on my life—this amazing, crazy life of wonderful experiences and unexpected opportunities—I am struck most by the profound impact that people have made on me and on my journey with Longaberger.

I have been touched by hundreds of people and been enriched by tens of thousands of brief interactions that remind me of how loved I am. I am humbled to hear of how I may have made a difference in his life or her life or your life—because I am too often blinded by the difference that you all have made in mine.

I could compose lengthy lists of the people for whom I am grateful. For my family, first, and my children. For the employees, past and present, who give so much of themselves at The Longaberger Company, giving birth to creativity and new design. For the tens of thousands of Home Consultants and their families who work to make their Longaberger businesses successful each day.

But in truth, it is more than the one-on-one relationships I have with our employees or consultants—although those are, of course, dear and priceless and precious to me. What I am so grateful for and so incredibly appreciative of is the collective effects that all these relationships have had on my heart—relationships from all walks of life.

I am grateful for women and men who are struggling with life and find Longaberger when they've nearly reached the ends of their ropes. I cheer for them as they turn around, climbing back out of the ...