The past few years have included a lot of adjusting for me. The kids have established lives and families of their own. We’ve done a lot of upgrades around the house and yard. I got a little more involved in serving at church. I even started a new hobby, taking up competitive weightlifting. There have been some hard times, too; I lost both of my parents within a 15-month span.
I run my own business from home; I’ve been a hairdresser for 34 years. My clients are like family to me. I thrive on caring for them and their hair, every few weeks, like clockwork. In short, I had a good routine and I was pretty happy.
And then, everything changed.
March of 2020 arrived. Covid shut the world down. And suddenly, I was completely lost, with no direction.
No direction or purpose, and—even worse—no schedule. My business came to a standstill—I had to close completely.
I coped pretty well, you might say. I took up sulking.
But after a few weeks of sulking—which turned out to be pretty non-productive—I needed to find something normal.
It was time to start baking. Not just any baking:
It was time for sinarolls.
Homemade cinnamon rolls, Sherry-style. It’s my thing. And I knew it was just the thing to get me going while everything was closed.
I’ve made sinarolls for a while; usually I make them and sell them, and then give away all the proceeds. However, with a lockdown in place, it wasn’t that easy.
The baking wasn’t a problem—but pick up and delivery became a challenge. It was so hard to keep a distance from the people I loved! These were people I usually hug and have long conversations with; now, we had to talk through a locked door, or I had to simply leave the sinarolls on the front porch with a jar for the money.
It felt weird and wrong but we made it work.
After a few short weeks I found myself fully engulfed in orders, so as I could find ingredients, I filled those orders. It became an awesome way to catch up with so many. I looked forward to every order and all of the baking; it gave me a purpose and drive once again. I realized I needed to fill those orders as much as people needed a sweet treat—it was as much for me as for everybody who called, begging for more! And while delivery was still hard, I found myself now enjoying longer conversations with people at a distance in driveways.
In a small way, just knowing I once again was making a difference in our community, I once again felt happy and normal. I felt like I had a purpose again—not only making food, but at the same time doing God’s work. Allowing me to give back makes me feel like I’m doing exactly what God called me to do. The proceeds from my sales all go to places and people that God directs. He says, “Give here”, and I just obey.
I see it as a win.
Of course, life is still overwhelming at times. It’s been a journey. But I believe in honesty. I believe in sharing. I believe if my journey can help motivate or touch one person, I’ve done okay today.
Oh, and the name? “Sinarolls”—because they’re sinfully good—but that doesn’t mean God can’t use them.
