Collaborative Divorce professionals and mediators are optimists. They want and believe that their clients will have positive outcomes. Even during this challenging year, my optimism remains. I choose to believe that the future will be better for my family. I hope that is true. And I hope it is true for you and your family.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I recognize that it is hard to be thankful this year. Our friends and family may be sick, and our businesses may be limited or shut down. Our optimism is shaken. I am incredibly disappointed that I will not get to spend the holidays with my extended family. I must ensure that my immediate family and I stay healthy. I would love to travel across the country to celebrate with my parents and brothers and sisters, and I’m sad that I’ll miss being with them.
However, the optimist in me knows that I’m lucky and blessed to be with my wife and daughter during this Thanksgiving holiday. I recognize that I will hopefully see the rest of my family soon. And, ironically, this time has allowed me to feel closer to my family than I have in a long-time. Strangely, I’ve stayed in touch more frequently with my extended family than I have in past years. With about twenty cousins on one side of my family tree, we’ve used technology to touch base with each other more than I can ever remember. I am genuinely grateful for that change. My brothers and sisters see each other regularly through video calls, and my daughter gets to visit with her cousins.
Before the lockdowns, we allowed too much time to pass before connecting. We assumed that we would all see each other “sometime soon,” and then months would pass without touching base. That doesn’t happen now. We all need to ensure that we’re safe and well and healthy. We’re making sure that each of us is staying healthy until we can be together personally. I’m thankful that this pandemic has not impacted our ability to stay connected with loved ones but instead has encouraged us to build stronger connections.
I’m optimistic that I will see my parents, brothers, sisters, and cousins next summer. I think I know them better now than I have in a long-time. I’m thankful for that gift, and I look forward to many good times with them in the future. Until then, I wish you all health and wellness and a happy Thanksgiving.