03/22/2026
The Garden, candle and soap…
Inspired by the quiet rhythm of a garden, this candle captures the fresh, grounding scent of herbal sprigs, essential oils layered with soft earthiness. Each candle is finished with dried garden herbs. It’s a fragrance that reflects the simple joy of gardening, from the first cool days of early spring to the moment a tiny seedling appears ...embracing both the small victories and the lessons along the way.
One of my earliest memories is wandering through my paternal grandparents’ carefully tended garden in Silver Ridge Park, Toms River, NJ. With sandy soil beneath my feet, hot sun on my shoulders and cicadas drumming in the distance, I was surrounded by growth and beauty on what felt like an endless summer day. I believe there was also a ‘do not touch’ directive issued toward my busy little hands.
My grandmother was gone only a handful of years later, and their house sold soon after. In the years that followed, as a far too self involved child turned teen, I failed to make time for meaningful conversations with my grandfather, and too soon that opportunity was also gone.
As an adult, I often wish I could return to that garden with them, to learn about their plant selections, their methods, and what brought them the most joy. Gardening, like life, moves through seasons of successes and losses, of things that flourish and others that compel us to perhaps try again. I would have loved to hear their stories of quiet patience and hope they carried from one season to the next.
When our father’s time on this earth was coming to an end, I turned to my garden with an intensity - digging, cultivating, needing to believe that life would return with every seed I planted. That spring, my connection to the earth felt profound. As my grandparents were welcoming their beloved son, I sometimes wonder if it was their quiet influence that guided me toward a place that could hold both comfort and hope, even in a time of loss.
