I was given a “homework” assignment to write something starting with “I believe…”
 At first, I came up with many silly ideas, but realized I was probably supposed to write more than that.
 I then went to the other extreme and thought of writing about my belief in God, but then that seemed like the Sunday School answer.
 So, as I continued to think about something that I truly believed in, I came up with this:

 

I believe in family!
  Families are something that everyone can relate to.
  I believe that families and the experiences that we have with them, shape us into the people that we are today.
 I think that families are essential for people to be successful, but families don’t have to be the same.
 I have learned in my job that all families are different and some things that work for some families don’t work for others.
 I have seen how events in families, both big and small, have changed the relationships of family members and the direction of their family as a whole.
  I am intrigued by family dynamics – how family members interact and how they get along, what values and morals they hold, what roles people play in the family, what traditions they have created, etc.
 

 

I know that in my life, I have been blessed with a wonderful and supportive family.
  I have two amazing parents and a great brother!
  I have been blessed with great extended family as well.
  All these relationships have helped me to be who I am.
  I have heard this before and my pastor often talks about each human being needing to feel loved, accepted, and significant.
  I think all these things need so start within the family system.
  When a family does not provide this within the home, many times people begin looking to be loved, accepted, and significant in other ways, ways of the world.
  I hope that you can take a step back and look at your family.
  What’s unique about them?
  What values and morals do they have and live by?
 How have they shaped you?