Posting by Geoffrey D. Brown, CPA, Principal at Bond Beebe Accountants & Advisors
One of my associates, Eric Fletcher, recently sent a Thanksgiving blog post that someone else had written that basically discussed how thankful and appreciative he was for all that was around him. I happened to think that it was a wonderful idea and decided to mimic that gesture with my own twist.
This past year has been, at times, tumultuous and at others extremely gratifying; it certainly has been a roller coaster year in our family. Before Thanksgiving came I had given thought to expressing how thankful I was for good health, our new home and especially our new grandson. As we sat down at the table, my wife of 33 years spoke first and said exactly what I wanted to say, but a bit more eloquently.
The gentleman who wrote the original blog post listed a number of items that he was grateful for, and all of them certainly worthy. But, as I look back and reflect upon that day, giving thanks with four generations present, I know that the one thing I am more grateful for than anything else is family. We have given and received so much from each other, epitomized by the simple act of great-grandfather holding great-grandson in his arms.
So, all of us involved in family business have this wonderful institution, the family, that we have to be grateful for. As the business has grown and changed and as the generations have succeeded each other; as we have fought and argued and disagreed with the direction of the business or as we have celebrated the business successes – if it wasn’t for the family, the family business simply would not exist.
As I wander through another holiday season and another end to an eventful year, I plan to spend some time reflecting on all that my family has meant to me, through the good and the bad. A quiet celebration of sorts, of family. I hope that all of you in family business can take some time to do the same, despite the bad and because of all the good, and appreciate all that your family has meant to you. Happy Holidays.
