Recently our team took a one day retreat to reflect on our purpose and goals for the upcoming year. Facilitated by the skilled Katherine Eitel Belt (www.katherineeitel.com), Meghan, Jason, Tammy, Andriy and I focused first on “The Big Why”. Why do we get up in the morning, drive to the office, meet with a client or draft a legal document or prepare correspondence?
I grew up in a home permeated by conflict. Mercifully my parents divorced when I was 20. Some years later, with a toddler in tow, I went through my own divorce journey. I’ve lived the co-parenting life, endured time away from my child and put in the financial recovery work that frequently follows the first few post-divorce years.
Not surprisingly, when I went to law school at the age of 32, I enjoyed my family law classes the most. Here’s where I can do some good I felt. Here’s where I can put to use some of the war wounds I’d survived.
This morning, my almost 80-year old father is in the hospital following a heart stint procedure. My mother and her friends are praying for his full recovery. Last month my former husband flew in for our granddaughter’s 4th birthday. The two of us shared a special delight in her as only her paternal grandparents could.
What I know for sure is that family endures. Family is the source of our highest joy and deepest frustrations. It is the axis around which most lives rotate. Preserving family at its optimal best is the reason why all of us at Berecz & Associates, PLC get up, suit up and walk through the doors of our office.
Everyone at our firm has his or her own family story. For some, like me, divorce is part of that story. Others are dealing with aging parents or parenting young ones, both requiring evaluating our own estate planning. Some have stood with family members as they faced the criminal justice system. In whatever context, we stay focused on helping clients create their best family structure and preserve it going forward.
At the end of the retreat day, we toasted our shared vision and renewed our commitment to preserving the families we are honored to serve.
Wishing you wisdom,
