Families Need to Stick Together More Than Ever

DENISE MORENO

I have had the joy of knowing Denise Moreno since the 1990s, when our boys were Boy Scouts together. Denise and my wife Deborah were Den Mothers extraordinaire. In addition to her devotion to family and friends, I have witnessed her leadership and compassion in the workplace — I hired her to serve as my Chief Financial Officer when launching a multi-million dollar ice arena in my community.

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Inaugural Issue Exclusive

First a word of thanks. For those of you who haven’t had the up close and personal experience of working with Greg Meakin, take it from me, he is without question one of the ‘Good Guys’ — albeit a bit quirky at times!  He is someone I call a friend and am honored to do so. If I had to pick one thing that my decades long relationship with Greg has taught me it is to always DREAM BIG….and  THERE’S NEVER A BAD DAY FOR HUMOR. Well that’s two things really, but they’re both representative of what life can and should be, and I am eternally grateful to Greg for the lessons.

2017 was a bit of a rough year for a lot of families. Not necessarily financially, although I’m sure that was the case for some, but I mean emotionally, where family relationships were cracked or even shattered under the new political climate. I’ve seen it in my own family, when differences of political opinion that previously had been understood but disregarded in favor of familial harmony have, over the past 12 months, been the impediment to that harmony. Members of our tribe separated themselves from the whole in reaction to the outcome of the last election and what they believe are/were personal slights inflicted upon them by those tribe members who did not share their opinion about the election.  

I don’t believe my family is all that unique in this regard, I’ve heard similar tales from friends all over the country.  It’s unfortunate, really, but I get it. The older I get though, the more I understand that ‘Everybody gets to be who they are’. I’m reminded of an expression used by Dr. Laura in the 80’s, “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be loved?” If we’re honest, when asked that question about our own family, the answer would undoubtedly be the later. So when it comes to family members, love should always take precedence.  Any expectations we might have about who someone (other than ourselves) should be, or what they should believe are totally irrelevant and a complete waste of energy.

Instead, holding a good place for those we disagree with allows everyone room to shift, if you know what I mean. It’s like the Bees/Honey/Vinegar thing; if you want to change someone’s mind smother them with kindness and love, eventually they’ll come around. It’s all about the energy you create around you.

So here’s to a peaceful happy 2018.  Thoughts are Things, my friends.