Now, let me preface this little ditty with a disclaimer. I am not condoning illegal activity. I’m just sayin’- the women I’ll tell you about really knew how to create a life!

During the years of prohibition here in the United States, bootleggers were ordinary, and it was a lucrative business. There was even a unique niche for women. Maggie Bailer, known as Queen of the Mountain Women, is one such gal.
According to Catherine Lugo at homestead.org, Maggie Bailer began making moonshine when she was 17 and made it her life’s work, serving her neighbors well into her 90s. People in her community loved Maggie. They knew she would help anyone who had fallen on hard times and even helped some local kids get to college.

Maggie looked like anyone’s grandma in her housedress and apron and didn’t drink alcohol herself. She started selling moonshine to help her family make ends meet. If you were in the market for a batch, all you had to do was pull around to her back door, and Maggie would load you up with all you wanted. However, she said that she never sold to children or people she called “drunkards.”

The women of the prohibition era who chose to ‘bootleg’ made the best they could of a difficult time. The life they created may have looked different than the one you have, but the creation principles are the same.

Education – Maggie was self-taught. She learned the 4th Amendment well and used it to her advantage. She could quote it backward and forwards. She was smart. She learned all she could to help and improve her community.
Resourcefulness – Maggie took the resources she had and built with them. What resources have you got at hand? What could you create? Do you have a particular life experience to share? A talent to develop, or curiosity that will lead to new opportunities? Take a close look at your resources. It will surprise you how abundant you are.
Determination – If there’s one thing that stuck out about all the women I researched, it was determination. When there is value for those we love in our desires, it fuels a determination that builds as we grow. That determination will bring small successes that compound and fuel us to continue. Determination is vital in creation. Stick with your dreams- they’re worth it.
Service – Maggie made her community a better place. Her people knew she would care for them, look out for their welfare, and could be trusted. She wanted to help and served without reservation. Our time and talents will increase as we serve those we meet. It’s a backward law, but giving away our time and talents brings in much more than we give. Service is magical.

Now I may disagree with the service of these bootleggin’ women rendered outside of the law, but I admire the determination to take what life gives you and create something of value with it. Maggie’s desire to help her family gave her and many in her community an education, a sense of belonging, and valuable service among her neighbors.

Is there something in your life that is currently a challenge or difficulty that you could use as a catalyst to create a good life for yourself and the ones you love? Let’s keep it legal as well as helpful. What difficulty could you turn to good using the principles of education, resourcefulness, determination, and service?

Choose a principle and work on it this week.
You’ll be glad you did!

All my love,

Beth