He Gives & Takes Away

A dear friend of mine used to remind me when one of us was going through trials - “the Lord gives & the Lord takes away.” She’d always say it with a sparkle in her eye. She had this way of conveying sincere empathy but infusing it with truth and hope. While my dear friend is no longer earth side a recent struggle I was having brought her and those words to my mind. I thought perhaps I would share a story with you today… and maybe her words of encouragement will help you as well.

My very first experience with herbs was with a sweet little kit that arrived in the mail. A starter pack by learning herbs.com . I cut open the box and the air was filled with the aroma of strong herbs. Stinging Nettles for making an infusion, echinacea to dabble in tincture making, bright orange calendula to make a salve and finally dark purple elderberries for syrup making. I was so excited to get started I had dumped the entire contents of the box onto my table and got to work! Before long my counter was littered with little herbal remedies and my spirit was awakened with a new found passion.

Freshly Harvest Stinging Nettles.

That passion grew into learning all I could about herbs and how they can help people. God gives… He made a way for me to be able to attend an herbal school via correspondence. An exciting step in my journey. They school was called Dr. Christophers School of Natural Healing. After hundreds hours of training I was certified as an herbalist. I spent the next years studying herbs by growing them, creating my own line of herbal products and teaching. One of the herbal products I created a recipe for was Elderberry Syrup.

My elderberry syrup recipe was formulated so that it would be sure to please even the pickiest tastebuds… specifically those of husbands and children that turn their noses up to just about anything. Creating a sweet yet perfectly spiced blend was tricky… my own taste testers let me know how the recipe was coming along by spitting it out into the sink on more than one occasion. After many attempts finally my little helpers exclaimed “This is delicious !! Can I drink this every day?”

“This is delicious!!

Can I drink this every day?!”

To which I was trilled to reply, “YES!”

I started giving this delicious herbal concoction to my little family to help keep our immune system boosted during the winter months. Elderberry is known for being a flu fighting powerhouse. Soon all our friends and family started asking for bottles and I had to buy a bigger pan to accommodate making larger batches.

Before I learned the crucial time saving skill for cleaning the toxic stems from the berries a good friend would bring her children out to my cabin in the woods. We’d let the kiddos play while we spend hours sipping wine, chatting about gardening and de-stemming the tiny berries. Boy was I glad for the good company during those long hours.

Eventually word spread and the elderberry berry syrup I was making traveled near and far. I realized I had better start looking into the legalities of selling it as more than a hobby. After talking to some other people who were making the syrup and reading the Idaho Cottage Laws I was confused & overwhelmed to say the least. One resource would say one thing and another told me something completely different. So I took matters into my own hands. I made the time to take a trip to the Idaho Panhandle Health Department. I talked to them about my syrup, filled out the proper paperwork got the stamp of approval and was told I was all clear to sell my handcrafted elderberry syrup. I have been selling this syrup as apart of my business for several years now. It has been a staple for my business and customers ever since.

Recently elderberry syrup has gained popularity and many makers have sprung up over the region. With popularity sometimes comes challenge…. God takes away…

This elderberry season has been more than an adventure. I traveled many hours by car in search of these berries this year only to find none. The bushes were shriveled up and dead looking. Spent for the season even though they should have been in their prime. Not a berry to be seen. My usual back yard providers didn’t produce this year either. Door after door was shut. And I was left asking what now? How will we make ends meet this winter?

As I was still considering the options as winter slowly crept up another dilemma was revealed. This time one more serious in nature. Rumors of elderberry syrup not being covered under cottage law were brewing… not good for a company that built itself on a foundation of trust and openness with its customers. So after a few weeks of praying and the issue not passing I ceased promoting sales of syrup on my platforms and removed the purchase option from my website. I was hoping to slide through the holidays and keep things quite so we could enjoy time together. Of course my customers noticed immediately and began sending me messages…that’s when I decided to make a phone call to panhandle health and make sure my business was still in the clear for selling our elderberry syrup. And that’s when the final ball dropped.

As it turns out the legal document that I have signed and dated stating my elderberry syrup is a safe product to sell under cottage law is NOT VALID! I was given BAD legal advice. It felt like a gut punch after all the battles and personal struggles I’ve faced this year already. I had been praying for direction for many months with no answers. Elderberry syrup was my way of providing for my little family through the winter. What was I going to do now?

The lady I talked to at Panhandle Health was very kind. She apologized for the misunderstanding. She gave me a few options to be able to continue selling my elderberry syrup in the proper legal manner - however these options of course would take hundreds of dollars and much more time than I have available in this season of life. All of this was very discouraging to say the least. Not wanting to give up on the options to quickly I asked for time to consider the possibilities and went back to praying.

The words of my friends flashed into my mind and it was as if she was standing there in the room with me…. “the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.” I knew in that moment exactly what I wasn’t supposed to do. I had no peace moving forward with taking elderberry syrup production off my farm - which would be the only option if I moved forward with it. Sometimes rather than telling us which way to go God simply shuts the doors that are no longer for us….

While I can tell you it is with a great deal of sadness I take this syrup off of my list of things Esthers Eden offers. I can also say it is not without great contemplation. This past year has been my most challenging and trying year ever. The mountains I have climbed have felt like Everest and the valleys have been lower than low…. it was after the phone conversation with Panhandle Health that I FINALLY called in all my closed friends and asked them to join me in prayer for direction. Running out of time and resources to provide for my children and I, the bank account balances getting lower and lower with each passing day despite pinching every penny and cutting as many costs as I can…. I needed a vision. Hope. A plan. Support.

These dear friends prayed and encouraged me. And I knew I wasn’t going to get direction in the form of a map. Go back to the last thing God told you is what one friend sweetly said…. It was there I found the peace I needed.

BE.

I got you. I will not let you go. I am your provider. Not elderberry syrup. Not your business. Not you. I am. Those are the last words God spoke to me.

Do what makes you smile. Do things well again. Take off some of the pressure.

So I started listing all the things I am responsible for.

One.

By.

One.

I felt like an absolute failure. My boys were behind in School. We’d lost so many animals on our farm this year. My house hasn’t been well kept in some time. My business was crashing….

….. but you know what? That was the wrong perspective. I was seeing all this as a negative thing. As if I’d done something wrong. When in all reality I have been doing everything in my power to just keep my head above water. Not for one year. For many years.

God was offering me something. A chance at freedom. A chance to rebuild. Start fresh. Take things back to a manageable place so that I can find joy in life again. It is incredible to me how comforting the bars of the cage really are. Once we remember we have wings and are meant to fly it is up to us to actually open them up and go for it. It is in His kindness that He takes things away and shuts doors. We may not always see it as such, but sometimes we get glimmers of what He’s doing.

I began looking at this giant list of responsibilities - how bound up and tied up I’d slowly become. Some of them I’d put on myself. Some were ideas others thought were good for me. Some came naturally with the lifestyle I choose and some came as consequences of choices. One at a time I prayed over them and by taking things off the list. My path forward was brought into the light.

My dear farm friend who lives in glory now.

While it may look like I am doing less to some and from another perspective as if I am doing more. I know I will be doing the right amount for me. It may take a little more whittling to get to where I’d like to be and I’m okay with that. I am genuinely excited to see what this next year has in store. I am glad I will have room to accept new possibilities.

As for the elderberry syrup. Well, I will continue making it for my family to enjoy. As for everyone else in this beautiful community I will happily share my recipe, tips and tricks of the trade and help you on your journey in any way I can. Thank you to every single person who has purchased syrup from Esthers Eden. (As of June 2024 Esthers Eden has launched a new product to help you continue to learn grow. If you would like access my original Elderberry Syrup recipe, tips on how I make it taste so good AND a ton of information on growing elderberries check out Elderberry: Nature’s Medicine Chest! This online course was designed for at home makers just like you! Jump in today :)

God gives and He takes away - Blessed Be the Name of The Lord.

I hear the barter system is making a come back. wink. wink.

Cheers to 2024,

Esther Munroe