Contact: Melisa T. Holmes mholmes3@weber.edu (801) 626-7212
GUEST EDITORIAL: Want to build your best investment? Attend WSU workshop on families
Thursday, October 22, 1998
By Jodi Kilcup
OGDEN, Utah - Some days, as I drive to and from work along Harrison Boulevard, I catch myself muttering about the latest family scenario. Perhaps it was a conversation I wish I could rescript. Or a trying moment that called for just one more ounce of patience. With a teenage daughter and a pre-teen son at home, there's always fodder for second-guessing.
Conversations with friends and family assure me I'm not alone. There are days when it's hard to summon your best self in response to a series of challenges -- toddlers provoke, spouses frustrate, teenagers rebel and pets run amok. But occasionally you dig deep and find you have plenty to share with the people you love. You can see the sparkle in their eyes when you set aside the current item on your never-ending "to-do list" and listen as if you had all the time in the world.
My sixth-grade son is one of those resourceful kids who can take me from full-scale nuclear warfare to a dazed and happy sigh in the space of a day. Somehow he can read the gathering storm on my furrowed brow and adjust his internal weather channel. He dials up a Jim Carrey gag or a moment of honest reflection that makes me want to drop everything and toss him high above my head (as I used to do before he weighed 105 pounds!) But I'll settle for an exchange of smiles and a hug. On rare occasions, he'll still hold my hand in public, or stretch his arm protectively behind my shoulders during church. Those are moments I tuck away for that commute to work, replacing frustrated muttering with five minutes of shiny-eyed grinning.
Whether you are a spouse, parent, grandparent or sibling, I'd guess you also engage in regular bouts of personal evaluation. You too may be seeking tools, skills and strategies that will help you build healthy relationships in your home. After all, you want to share your best self with your family. What could be more important?
That's why Weber State University's Alumni Association is sponsoring a powerful one-day workshop, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People At Home," developed by Steven R. Covey. It will enrich your understanding of who you are, what you can become and how you can celebrate life more deeply by serving your family more effectively. Focusing on self-renewal, this program promises to help you develop from the inside out so you can work toward a strong family culture.
The workshop is scheduled Nov. 7 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at WSU's Lindquist Alumni Center, 1305 41st Street, in Ogden. A discounted fee of $99 includes lunch, a sample organizer and your choice of a book or audio cassettes. (The corporate rate for a similar workshop is $1,500!) Seating is limited, so sign up now for this special opportunity. For more information call WSU Alumni Relations at 626-7535.
Take this chance to invest in your family and reap the most lasting dividends!
Jodi Kilcup is executive director of Alumni Relations at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.