I just love the holiday season. I love being surrounded by family, the energy of giving, the increased compassion and joy. There are two things about the season that I really don’t love though. 1. The stress people put on themselves to be perfect. And 2. How it all stops the day after Christmas. 

In my church service on Christmas morning, we heard the priest discuss how the Christmas holiday is celebrated for eight days. He encouraged us to say Merry Christmas through the New Year because Christmas isn’t over yet… the general public doesn’t totally agree though. If you walk into the store the day after Christmas (usually even before), you’ll find Valentine’s candy in place of that Christmas Spirit among the patrons. It seems as if Christmas leaves us faster than it sneaks up on us from year to year.  

Those that are stressed by the need for Christmas perfection are grateful when it's over and life can "get back to...

Man oh man have the last few years brought out some of the best and some of the worst in people! It's amazing to see how change, pressure, and the "unknown" hit folks differently. When the shelter-in-place orders started being rolled out across the country, I saw a quote online that said: 

“The virus is enhancing what is already inside of each person. Jerks are turning into bigger jerks. Compassionate people are becoming more compassionate. You get to decide in this very difficult time who you really are. Hopefully, we all make the right decision –James Tucher.”

I love this. I love this more now than ever before. I love this because it is a perfect example of how unique each person is and how each of us is in a different place in our spiritual growth and personal development journey. Here’s the thing; your partner, your kiddo, and your best friend are all in different places. They are all experiencing each life event in their own way, and it is...

Have you ever heard it said that kids grow better with love? Research has shown us that our children’s brains actually grow bigger when they are loved. There’s also research stating children grow up to be happier, more resilient adults if they are shown love in their childhood. How cool is that? Something as simple as asking about their day, hugging them before they leave for school and after they come home, and taking an interest in the things they are interested in, helps them become less anxious and more resilient. I do firmly believe in doing our best to raise our babies in such a way that they don’t need to heal from their childhood when they’re grown, but that is not why I bring this up with you today. 

We talk about love and growth because you never really stop growing. Just like we talked about in this post for as long as you are here on Earth, you are growing and evolving. I pray that the person you are today is not the same person...

Offering someone compassion doesn't always feel as easy as criticizing them. Because it feels hard it might even feel “better” to criticize before we offer compassion. Sit with that for a second… it feels better to criticize others than it does to offer compassion. Not just others, but yourself too. It feels better to criticize yourself than to offer yourself compassion because that is easier. Like water, we do take the path of least resistance. But like water in a flood zone, that path can certainly be destructive! 

Today, I want you to check your inner dialogue. Whether it’s walking through the store or after a conversation with your co-workers or interacting with a customer. Your knee-jerk response is likely one with a negative approach. “What is she wearing?” “I cannot believe she allows her kids to do that!” “Grow up and manage your money like an adult and you wouldn’t need to put items back.”...

Perfect: being entirely without fault or defect. 

So often in our lives, we chase "perfect." The perfect outfit, perfect hair, perfect relationship, perfect car… We put a great deal of energy into being “perfect.” 

To be entirely without fault is impossible though. We were not built that way. We were not designed to live this life without failure or defect. Yes, you were created perfect in every way, but a part of what makes you perfect are your imperfections. A part of what makes you perfect is the trial and error side of life. The times when you start as a beginner, nowhere near perfect. The times when you realize you must evolve to keep up with the world around you, and in that transition, you are not perfect. The times when life gets messy and you don’t know quite what to do, you are not perfect. 

But you are learning, growing, and evolving. THAT is perfect. 

So much of our time is spent on trying to become...

 When all of the Shelter-in-Place orders started being released across the US I saw a meme on Facebook that said

“The virus is enhancing what is already inside of each person. Jerks are turning into bigger jerks. Compassionate people are becoming more compassionate. You get to decide in this very difficult time who you really are. Hopefully, we all make the right decision –James Tucher.”

I love this. I love this more now than ever before. I love this because it is a perfect example of how unique each person is and how each of us is in a different place in our spiritual growth and personal development journey. Here’s the thing; your partner, your kiddo, your best friend-they are all in a different place. They are all experiencing this in their own way, and it is unique to them. Just like your experience is unique to you. We must always offer some grace to each other as we go through this journey called life, but especially now. As this continues,...