I am going to be quite transparent and share with you my family and our dramatic story, but first let me prelude with probably the most important personal belief I could make on this website, in regards to family:

The most powerful purpose available to all people is being a parent of positive influence and being united with our spouse in building a powerful family. You may be a single parent or overworked parents reading through the text of some of these pages and agree with the invitational call to finding your “powerful purpose”. But you personally feel crippled, for your life is so limited right now. That’s OK! You have your purpose cleaved to you right now in your own home! Our children are our life’s investment into the earth. They and what they bring to the world comes through us and will remain here long after we are gone. What an awesome privilege to hold such humbling power within our own human hands - but what an awesome responsibility: We are not just “raising a family”, we are building a heritage. A new lineage starts with us!

(caption left) Victoria with her daughters, Vanessa and Valorie

I used to remind myself of that personal revelation during difficult days when I was up to my armpits in diapers and laundry; never went out into the “real world” without a car seat, stroller and diaper bag and the only subject of intelligent conversation to share was potty training! (Oh, how I miss those special short-lived days, now!)

When we become parents, it’s not about us anymore – it’s about these little human beings that are “mini me’s” (they came from your very own body – another person who is half of you- how awesome is that!) If the reality is that we ARE building a heritage, and we only have a few short years to do it – nothing else should matter! No amount of money, no extra–marital relationship (or finding a “better spouse” for ourselves), no time consuming opportunity of personal advancement, should ever be a bigger consideration in front of this glorious thing called “family” we were blessed with and given charge of. This is now our 18-year (plus!) project that requires a heck of a lot more than 10 minutes of time each day to build. We as parents have the rest of our lives after we “build a heritage” to prioritize other things for ourselves. But 18 years goes by at warp speed and we can never go back and re-do or undo. Whatever we do in those years lasts forever.