Here’s the story of how, having done many things in life, I am now proud to add “author” to my achievements. How did I come to write the Family Meeting Handbook; Here for Each Other, Hearing Each Other?

Family meetings are a simple way to give the most important messages we all need—YOU COUNT AND YOU BELONG! Through Family Meetings, my family created a safe space, the safe haven we all want our home to be.  I began to share what I had learned about building a great family life by creating a Family Meetings Workshop as my children grew up. The feedback from parents who attended the workshops has been amazing. We held “reunions” for workshop participants as a way of encouraging parents to continue with Family Meetings over time and to share their stories with other families. Many have continued to hold Family Meetings to this day.

After years of Family Meeting workshops, I realized that I had the makings of a book that could spread this wonderful tool to a wider audience. The exercises and stories were all in notes that I could draw on, and the wisdom of the participants could be shared with so many others. As I was putting together the materials, I realized that a sample script of a Family Meeting would be helpful. I also noticed that people had questions about communication–both as parents and for their children. One of my first readers suggested a question/answer format as an easy way for busy parents to read targeted sections. I added all of these elements.

And so my first book was born.