When Tobe and I married, we were fortunate to have all eight of our grandparents and one of my great-grandparents at our wedding. Over the course of our eight years of marriage we have only lost two of these gems. 
In the last two weeks, I have been fortunate to visit with the seven grandparents that are still with us. I have sat at the their kitchen tables, dined beside them in restaurants, and been reminded of the effects of what an honest life lived looks like. I attempted to inquire as to how they exactly found the spot where they have landed, how they navigated the paths of life in such a successful manner. Some days I feel like I am feverishly treading water, often to little or no avail, as our family moves through time. I wonder if the preschool years of parenting will ever end and in the next moment think that my babies are growing much too rapidly. I see or hear about other families doing better or worse and wonder how people pull their families along life's timeline successfully.
Today I wrote an article about creating a family mission statement, because I think that intentionality is the best way to keep one's self and one's family on course. Perhaps I have spoken of drafting such a thing before on this blog, however we have yet to achieve such a goal.
I plan for the husband and I to sit down in the very near future and write a phillips family mission statement (This is more Tobe's cup of tea than mine, with his love for all things business and organization). Perhaps one day, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will find themselves seated at my table and will inquire as to how the phillips family weathered the trials of life and time.
Or perhaps they will simply read the posts of this blog and wonder how my family survived my quirks over the years...
Does your family have a family mission statement? If so, what does it say and is it effective?
