Dear friends,

I have been navigating a season of life where I have been doing a lot of reflection about how I made decisions in the past, how I evaluated information, who I trusted and what I need to learn from those experiences. In doing that, it has struck me how much freedom we really do experience in the relationships we choose to build and the way we react to the curveballs that life throws at us.

We have freedom in who we invite into our lives (for the most part =), how much energy we put into building and nurturing those relationships and evaluating what we are contributing and what we are getting out of those relationships. Sometimes relationships end in disappointment or even heartbreak. Sometimes relationships change and become something different for a season (or forever). And sometimes relationships end up evolving and strengthening, ultimately sustaining us through both good and bad times.

And we have freedom in deciding how we are going to deal with situations that can be complex and challenging. We can look for quick answers and quick fixes, while choosing not to try to understand the deeper issues and motivations that may be at hand. Or we can approach those situations with a heart full of understanding and grace, while still striving to set and maintain healthy boundaries and while committing to interrupting old patterns that may be leading us down the wrong path.

On this 4th of July, we are again so thankful that you have exercised your freedom to choose to be in relationship with us and give us space to nurture and grow that relationship so that we can provide the best advice and service we can. And we are thankful that, especially in these times that feel a little more volatile and a little more uncertain, you feel free enough to ask questions and seek to understand rather than giving into emotion or short-term solutions that might end up thwarting your long-term plans.

May we continue to exercise our God-given freedom to continue to choose the things that make our lives and our world better.

Happy 4th of July!

Darrell
(for all of us at Douglass Financial Services)