Every year I tell myself to "do less" in December so I can enjoy the holidays with my family. But instead, I gather them up to come to the office and help pack gifts for our Young Living Family!

We have dozens of gifts going out to our members and leaders and support team. I guess what's on my heart this time of year, is the gratitude I feel that I become inspired to say thank you and give back. "Tis the Season" to give, for I have received so much! And this year, I can't see people in person and give them a hug.... so what else can I fit in a box?

2020 has been the most challenging twelve months we have ever seen and had to navigated, each in our own way. We are blessed to have Young Living as a resource we can turn to. We can trust that our products are pure, selected for their abilities to support our healthy lifestyle and have kept us "above the wellness line" with a minimum of effort.

We feel free to ask for help from our leaders and the corporate office to guide us through some tricky waters. I think, essential oils make us better people! (There were a few folks that could've used a little Humility or Transformation:) I think a lifestyle that is built on wellness education and a "Seed to Seal" promise, has given us the strength and confidence to get through this year and the future, together.

And with a great big sigh of relief, it is almost over! We can take a deep breath (choose your favorite oil) and start planning for 2021. Maybe you're still lathering on Valor or maybe you're beginning a daily ritual of Into the Future so you're ready to hit the ground running. I found out that taking time to walk, talk, soak in the tub and just breathe has helped raise my appreciation for living on "Medicine Lake." I think the best medicine comes from my thoughts!

If you're still trying to "wrap up" some darker moments that you, a family member, a friend or team member have had to deal with, do it with Hope. Hope is one of the great emotional ribbons we have to move forward. Hope is like the extra touch you put in a box– or on the box, as you wrap it up for someone else. A gift is a gesture of hope and love we have for each other. I am reminded as I end this year that these thoughts return to my first thought: I may never "do less" during the Holiday season, because my heart is full of hope and love for thousands of people who are part of my family and I need to tell them how much I care! where I am happily filling boxes to get to the post office by 4:30 today.... and Dave, Maddy and Mason will just have to put up with me for another year.

Don't tell Dave that I've already bought lots of little Christmas gifts for next year, too:)

Last year during this season, we hosted The Be Vibrant Event in Minnesota. As hard as it is to put on a big event, we loved receiving the excellent education from so many professionals. While packing up, there were hugs and gratitude from the attendees and they promised to keep the Be Vibrant theme going, as winter blew harshly out the hotel doors.

Little did we know that a year later, we would all be learning from home, educating via Zoom, grateful for our health and cherishing the ability we have to continue sharing our knowledge with so many new members!

There have been some challenges for our Young Living friends and their family members and we don't take that likely. We aren't always poised to help everyone, but we freely share what we do for our own family's wellness, with others. We double up on all our nutritional supplements! We diffuse essential oils in every room. We do it, because we know how much they help keep us happy. We commit to the combinations of essential oils and supplements that reduce our mental stress about illness, reverse the low energy of worrying, and uplift the sadness of confinement, boredom or separation from our loved ones.

We stay Vibrant, because we have great tools! We keep on going, because we're educated and constantly improving on the choices we make. We know what we can control, and we "diffuse" the things we can't control. We adapted the "pivot don't panic" as soon as it was coined. Every household is dealing with schedule changes on a daily basis. One day the kids are home studying online, the next day they're back in school. That alone is making parenting more challenging than ever before!

We aren't just parents anymore or Young Living leaders anymore. We're stretching the limits of our technical skills and communication skills using new platforms. We're students, teachers, counselors and home-health directors. Many of our successful leaders learned how to juggle the demands of a  family and growing a Young Living business years ago, but not like this! We're all learning together.

Strong leaders know they are role models for their teams. That responsibility is an incredibly, positive force. We can apply it to getting through tough times and continue to help others. We can also apply Vitamin D3, B, C, zinc, Sulfurzyme, MultiGreens, NingXia Red, Thieves products, Inner Defense, ImmuPower, RC, Exodus II, Ravinsara, Copaiba, etc.

Our Gratitude goes out to Gary and Mary Young for building a company that cares about people! Our gratitude includes everyone who enrolled to learn more, share their knowledge, teach what they know, embrace the idea that essential oils, whole foods and nature's way is powerful and has granted us a sense of security, many people do not have right now. Keep sharing.... so other families can have what you have!