As silly or sappy as this may seem, we have written a mission statement for our family, outlining what we believe in, what is important to us, and what we hope our children will learn and gather from us. Our hope is this will be a touchstone from which all of us can find guidance in our lives.
“Our Berman family believes in a life of kindness, adventure, humor, beauty, and love, thoughtfully and responsibly lived. We aim to try everything that could be good and rewarding for us, do all we do with pride, enjoy each day, respect ourselves and others, be proud of what we do and make, add beauty to the world through the thoughtful and charming way we attend to tasks and life. We speak our mind and speak up for what we want in an always polite voice. We laugh a lot and like to act silly. If we make a mistake, we move on and try again. We catch bees with honey. We practice for the things we want to be good at and enjoy doing it. We are honest, respectful and fun loving. No problem is too great. We learn as much as we can. We are humble and inclusive. We know that with humor and dignity and thoughtfulness you can have a great Life. We enjoy observing the world around us and being part of it. We encourage others. We are generous of spirit, cherish ourselves and our family, and friends, and are curious about their lives. If there is an opportunity to try something that would expand our minds, abilities, or life in a positive way, we take it. We are grateful and appreciative for what we have. We take on the world with assuredness and contentment, knowing that we are loved by each other. “