Where is your family today?
We have prepared a special assessment exercise that is designed to help you think about where your family is today, and where you might want to focus as you move forward. Click the image to open and download the 1- page PDF.
Resources
This is where you will find articles, self-guided exercises, real-world testimonials and commentaries around the issues that matter most to your family’s present and future. Be sure to check back, we will be adding to this section regularly.
A short tale about the importance of trust
The dam collapsed under the weight of torrential rain, sending a wall of water and debris thundering across the valley floor. The rancher’s wife was safe in town, but their home was on low-lying ground, and he and his young son had to make it to the footbridge and over the creek to get to his truck. He yelled for the boy to follow him, and together they raced through the pelting rain and gale-force winds.
Only yesterday, the meandering creek was just a few feet deep under the bridge. Now, the headwater of the flood barreling their way had turned the creek into a turbulent river. Water and tree branches were already spilling over the bridge, and in a minute it would be impassable.
As they reached the bridge, a surge of water began to flow over the wooden rails.
“Hold my hand,” yelled the father. “I don’t want the water to sweep you away.”
“No, daddy,” shouted the boy in reply. “I want you to hold my hand!”
The rancher looked down, took his son’s hand tightly in his own and raced across the bridge just an instant before a cascade of water and broken fence posts rammed into the little bridge and tore it from its abutments.
They watched the bridge swirl and tumble against the creek banks before it broke up and disappeared beneath the current. Then the rancher put the boy in the truck, wrapped him in a blanket, started the engine, and got the heater going. As he pulled away from the flooded creek, he looked down at his son.
“Why did you ask me to hold your hand when I asked you to hold mine,” he asked. “Is there a difference?”
The boy nodded. “It’s a giant difference, daddy. If I am holding your hand and then something bad happens, I might have to let go because I can’t hold on any more.”
“Ok,” dad replied slowly. “But if I hold your hand instead?”
The boy smiled. “I know that you will never let go of my hand, never, no matter what happens.”
The rancher turned off the gravel road and onto the highway, joining a long line of cars headed for the safety of the hills before wrapping an arm around his son.
“That’s right,” he said softly. “No matter what happens.”
