This will be the 50th and final Family Matters column. I am very grateful to Roger Carroll, the editor, for making this opportunity possible. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to share with you each week new ideas about family relationships and to challenge you to improve some facet of your relationship system. Our purpose was not just to understand what gets in the way of building love in our families, but to also see the behaviors that with self-awareness can be changed. Change something about your behavior, be a little kinder. We repair and rebuild one brick at a time, one kind thought at a time, one thoughtful word at a time and one meaningful deed at a time.
This column was a roadmap for a journey of self-improvement. It only takes one pebble dropped into the lake to start the ripple effect of positive change. Remember, it doesn’t matter where you begin to make changes; it only matters that you begin.
I will be spending the winter in Florida; I will be launching a new course entitled: Invest in Your Family’s Well-Being. It is a five-week course that will meet one night a week, for 75 minutes and cover what everybody needs to know to avoid ever having to come see a family therapist. See, a good family consultant is somebody who is trying to educate people so that they don’t need them and, if they do need you, they will have a much better idea of what the problem is. I was one of those family therapists who wanted to put themselves out of business. So, keep your eye out for an invitation to take the course sometime in May. It will be a zoom program so you won’t even have to leave the comfort of your home.
In closing I would like to just repeat some of the Titles of the articles and messages that I shared with you over the course of the year. If you were a good student, you might remember some of the titles and remembering and practicing them is very significant. Be Grateful…Plan for Self-Improvement…The Answer is You…Practice Acts of Love and Kindness…Perform Random Acts of Kindness…Stop, Reflect and Improve…Promote Family Fun, Closeness and Connection…We Will Survive (this pandemic)…Please Don’t Let Your Guard Down…Outpour Love…empty your Family Backpack…Promote Marriage Preparation…consider doing Therapy or Consulting sometime…When You Love Someone, express it…make sure that you don’t treat The Family Dog better than a family member…there is an Art of Giving…Thank You! You can always reach me at: www.changeUcourse.com