12/18/2025
As I reflect on this past year, I am amazed at how much growth has happened with FAiTH Wellness Gifts.
A full year inside Salon Jel has taught me so much about the highs and lows of small business. Launching the website in late spring has stretched and challenged me in ways I never expected. There is still so much learning, risk-taking, and seizing-the-moment ahead in 2026. It is all deeply humbling and incredibly motivating as I continue working to make FAiTH Wellness Gifts your favorite clean, nontoxic health and wellness gifting store in the area.
I am taking a week off from work and social media to reconnect with what started this passion project in the first place: my family, my wellness, and my ongoing commitment to gratitude and contentment in the present moment. That is all we truly have, and it can flow like a beautiful stream if we allow it.
My oldest son, Gannon, reminds me of this often. Everything about this picture of him farming for his host mother in Guatemala exudes wellness, presence, contentment, and family. It is a reminder to choose quality over quantity, peace over “happiness,” freedom over boxes, and intuition over pressure. You hold the power: the power to heal, to sleep more soundly, to eat whole foods and move your body for 30 minutes a day, to put down your phone or delete the gambling apps, and most importantly, the power to truly connect.
December is a month of chaos. If this message reaches you, may it invite you to pause and remember there is no perfect, magical holiday. There is no perfect year, vacation, or car ride, because real life is messy. It is raw, hilarious, deeply sad at times, and yes, stressful. The real magic is authenticity, love, and showing up for yourself first. The holidays can be beautiful, but unlike the Hallmark movies, they carry a weight and stress that often go unspoken.
No matter how regimented we are with food, exercise, grounding, sun, and meditation, we will still fall prey to poor health if we live with a dysregulated nervous system. Stress plays a powerful role in nearly every health issue we face today.
2025 felt like a year that tested many of us to the brink. There were hard lessons in discipline over motivation, in good versus evil, and in recognizing how loud, angry, and uncontrollable the noise of the world can be.
But 2026 holds the possibility of something different. A year of growth mindset, more peace, and quieter, more intentional choices—choices you make for yourself and your family that do not require approval from any organization or institution.
Cheers to you and yours. Make today impactful, and remember that growth is a journey. It can look like one small change a day: swapping one product for a cleaner option, embracing a cold walk, or cooking at home for the first time because it truly does taste better. Learn to enjoy the mundane as much as the pomp and circumstance, because the mundane is where real growth happens.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.