Prior to speaking at our church on the 20th, the McWilliamses showed a slightly shortened version of a “Family Story” video you can see at Gail’s website.

I’d say Lydia, their next-to-youngest, was probably about 11 or 12 when she was interviewed for the video. And what she said shook me up.

“I can’t imagine what the world would be without me,” she begins. “The world would probably be missing my . . . ” Read the rest of this entry »

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G____ sent me some notes he took during our meeting on Monday. Mostly, they are brief words or phrases. But they help give a sense of where Sarita and I are coming from. –Of course, we said far more in response to the questions than what is embodied in the few words. But it’s interesting to me to think, even, what the meaning is of these key questions and the few words from our responses that G____ recorded.

I’m afraid his brief notes (together with my spare “explanatory” additions) really don’t do justice, but I sense I should report “even” this little bit of data because it gives an idea of the kind of analysis that I think is going to (eventually, I hope!) lead to a much better long-term estate or legacy plan than we have now or that we would get if we never did this kind of work. . . .

1- What Should The Legacy Be? Our views on characteristics that the Holzmann legacy should embody . . .

Our kids should be . . .

• Solidly married
• Believers
• Doing work they enjoy
• Engaged in significant work
• Enjoying strong relationships one with another

2- Phrases That Speak to Us. Concepts and thoughts that we believe somewhat define principles which we embrace . . .

• [We're all about . . .] Influencing hearts & minds
• [We want . . . and we want our kids to be involved in . . . ] Work that makes a difference
• [We are . . .] Passionate about work and life
• [We believe in . . .] Work as a calling/stewardship
• [We believe in . . .] Education [as] inspiring/enabling to fulfill Christian “calling”
• [We want to be . . .] Purposeful/Strategic [in all we do]
• [We seek . . .] Perspective via inquiry and consensus
• [We value being . . .] Connected as a family

3- Money: Our views and attitudes about it and towards it . . .

• [We don't look to it for status and high price does not equate to "best quality" . . . as we learned through years of purchasing] “No Name” Brand merchandise
• [Money is a . . .] Tool
• [We can use money to . . .] Measure
• Money isn’t important (Happy vs. Unhappy)
• Money has rules
• Money is/can be a tool for good
• “Stuff” doesn’t matter [compared to relationships]
• [You have to keep a good perspective on the differential] Value of money vs. time

[Fundamental "rules" by which we've lived our life together, when it comes to money:]

• Save 10%, Give 10%, Spend the rest with joy
• Pay tithe

4- Vision: How would we like to accomplish our vision . . .

• Philanthropy
• Businesses

5- Values: Those concepts and principles we see as core, meaningful and defining to us and our family . . .

Most Valued
John	Sarita
Openness	Passionate Work
Passion	Charitable
Integrity	Family Connection
Created to make a difference
Relationship with God
Education/Intelligence
Questioning/Inquiry
Justice
Consensus/Collegiality
Less Valued
John	Sarita
Approval
Financial Security
Recognition/Acknowledgement
Personal Power	Solitude

You know about investment portfolio management. And I’m sure you take time to ensure you invest wisely for financial returns. But what about eternal rewards? Read the rest of this entry »