As I reflect on this past year, I feel the weight and wonder of all we’ve been through together. 2024 brought moments so breathtakingly beautiful, they left me in awe, alongside challenges that tested the deepest parts of my soul. It’s been a year that demanded resilience but also revealed the quiet strength and extraordinary beauty found in gratitude. With this in my heart, I write to you, our Raw Sugar family, filled with appreciation, hope, and an unwavering belief that even the hardest seasons carry seeds of growth.
For me, 2024 will always be the year of rediscovery, unshakeable gratitude and resilience. The hurricanes that swept through Florida rocked our community, and along with many others, took my home and my mother’s—a devastating loss that felt like a piece of my foundation was torn away. Other members of the Raw Sugar team faced similar challenges, and we learned together that life doesn’t ask for permission before forcing us to dig deep. Resilience isn’t handed to us; it’s built in the storm, one choice at a time. And in that resilience, I’ve found something RAW and REAL—an invitation to rebuild not just walls but also dreams.
Through all the chaos and division we’ve seen this year, what has moved me most is the quiet power of connection. It’s not the big, sweeping gestures but the small, everyday acts of love and kindness that hold the world together. When we choose humanity over judgment, when we lean into compassion instead of conflict, we create threads of hope strong enough to weave a brighter future.
And here’s what I know for sure: the world doesn’t need perfection. It needs people who show up for their purpose, who pursue what lights them up and challenges them to grow. It’s not about fixing others—it’s about building ourselves up so we can offer something meaningful to the world. When we live from that place, we become the ripple that turns into a wave of change.
As this year ends, I encourage you to double down on what brings you joy. Map out a life full of purpose and gratitude—not in grand, overwhelming gestures but in the small, beautiful habits that shape our days and fill our hearts. One loving action, one moment of courage, one conscious breath at a time. These are the anchors that steady us, even when the waters are rough.
Here’s to the hope of a brighter year ahead—a year where we rise stronger, love deeper, and live more fully. Let’s walk into 2025 with hearts open, ready to embrace the beauty and possibility that waits for us. We are stronger than we know, and together, there is nothing we can’t rebuild.
Truth, Love, Sugar
Donda Mullis
Co Founder, Raw Sugar Living
Co Founder, Raw Sugar Living
