The Hart Family Cottage

There is always a way to get from here to there! And that's exactly what we found out at our family business meeting on Saturday in Michigan.

What could have been a contentious, frustrating environment, because of the complexity of what waits for us as we 6 sibs face retirement, ended up being a gracious, enlightening, inspiring time. We all had new eyes, as it were, to see outside the box. It was actually very cool and we all felt it. I liked part of Ruth's quote from Rumi in her report: The soul: a wide listening sky with thousands of candles....

As Ruth says, we're in that "upside down" time when our kids need to put money where their mouth is in order to keep what we all value. Reminds me of senior citizens who once parented their children and now are "parented" by them.

Anyway, we are now ready to have a Hart Cottage Association of close to 50 members, 18 years and older, who will run and fund the cottage instead of just 6 sibs. That assumes a buy-in from the members involved, of course, but talk about taking the weight off our shoulders!

We love this place and will fight for it. Our kids (and grandkids!) love it, too, and will fight for it as well. There really is always a way to get from here to there!