Note from the Editor

Ironically at the end of 2019, I considered my year one business development, and decided I needed to differentiate myself. I thought maybe I should focus on a niche market – like online mediation.  But as I considered this business idea, we were all swept up in the tsunami of the business disruption event of a lifetime. We find ourselves working alone, while trying to work together.

Like you, I have been caught up in the intense pressure between staying afloat, and protecting the health, safety and sanity of myself and my loved ones.  I have fears and anxieties about many areas, but most days I try to step back and feel gratitude for some aspects of this disrupted life.

I am grateful to all of you, who share your thoughts and ideas with our FDR community. I’m grateful that you don’t lose your temper when I ask for another favor.  I am grateful to the clients, who are often hopeful and loving, despite the challenges within their families and fears for communities around the world. I am grateful for the advocates and groups who are trying to make a difference. I’m grateful to be Canadian – we may not get this thing right, but we are going to try!

For me, now is a time to think about what I call our “death notice” life. No one will write in my death notice that I changed statutes, or settled cases.  If there is a notice, I hope it talks about my capacity as a spouse, a parent, a child, and a friend. I hope it notes perseverance in the face of adversity, and a love of the outdoors.  

We’ve dedicated this newsletter to the ways our world has changed, and what FDR professionals are doing in the face of that change. Things are dynamic, but we’re tried to select resources that will be in place into the near future. 

Stay hopeful, stay connected, and stay safe my friends. And help to create the families we all hope for in your own homes, while we find ourselves thrown together for this brief space of time.