Publisher - May 2020

Gratitude turns what we have
into enough.
— Melody Beattie

This issue is one of the most special issues we ever published. In the16 years Pink and 12 years Paisley have been in business, this month was the first time I truly did not know if we would be able to go to press. In fact, I wasn’t sure if we would be able to go on at all. We have been through hard times—the economic down turn and Hurricane Matthew, but Covid-19 is the worst yet.

Going to press is something I am not taking for granted this month, or ever again. These magazines are more than a business, they are a passion. I gave birth to both of them from an idea, and I have had terrific staff throughout the years who believe in the mission, and together we all make it work.

Pink and Paisley look like other magazines, but after a read or two, I hope you realize we are different. Our mission is emPower, Inform, eNcourage and evoKe thought. That is where our hearts dwell—in making women’s (and some men’s) lives better. Whether it be a laugh, an emotional tug, an ah-ha moment, a connection, some inspiration, or a family meal prepared from one of our recipes, we are so thankful to be a part of your life.

I hear from many readers about how we have made a difference in their lives, how they send the magazines to friends and family in other parts of the country—or world—or how they related to an article and are so glad to feel validated. Your messages are heard loud and clear, and thank you for trusting us as a friend. You are the reason we exist. It is from deep within us that we put these magazines together every month, and we hope it shows.

The magazines are both mine and my employees livelihood. This is how we survive, pay our mortgages, send our children to college, and put meals on the table. But, it’s not the reason we do it. Pink and Paisley are a labor of love. Each one of us has been able to pool our talents, and we get to have ideas and in 30 days or so, actually see them in print and hold them in our hands. It is a gift to get to work in something that pushes you to be your best, serves others in a deep way, and utilizes talents—both God given and learned— that have been honed over the years. These magazines have become part of our identities. I am known as the Pink lady in Beaufort County (SC) and the Paisley Lady in Glynn County (GA). Meredith, Lindsay, Jacie and all of us are the Pink and Paisley ladies, and we are so happy about it. Our important distribution employees tell of stories how they love their jobs because people come up to them when they are distributing and tell them how much they love the magazine and what it means to them.

{This is way more than a business, it is a calling, a movement, a mission.}

My children have always said the magazines were the “kids” who got all the attention. Trust me, my two got plenty of attention, but they did have to share it with Pink and Paisley. They have a mom who is a business owner. They have seen me go to heroic measures to make a deadline. They have ridden in the car with me to drive files to the printer in the middle of the night. They have been a part of it since the beginning. It is as much a natural part of their lives as if they really did have two more siblings. I don’t think they consider me a bad mom, I’m just a mom who did the best she could while juggling a whole lot. As a result, they know they are loved, they know what it takes to make things happen, and they know there should always be time for some fun. But when you love what you do, fun gets incorporated into the daily grind…and yes, beach, golf, pool, and social time is important, too. In fact, the only time I went to the beach to just sit, relax, sunbathe and swim was last year on Mother’s Day—with my children:)

The day we returned to work to begin putting this issue to bed was a very happy day. We all were in a good mood, laughing and cutting up with each other. We all had really missed it. Our joy arose from the certainty. The certainty that we were going to press; the certainty that we all could still do what fills our souls. We hope the same for you and truly appreciate you allowing us to be a part of it.

Think Pink,
Elizabeth Millen