As many of you know, our office building experienced a fire within the last couple of weeks.  In case you are hearing this for the first time, no one was inside at the time, and no one was hurt.  There was extensive damage to the property, and we will be sorting through details with insurance and contractors for months.  The facts of the situation are what they are, but they are only part of the story.  
 

Whenever something like this happens, many thoughts and emotions are stirred up within me.  At first, it was shock and a feeling of being unsafe, but as many of you have reached out with love and encouragement, I recognize that my feelings are changing.  By receiving your love, I can focus on love.  By recognizing what a gift that is, I can focus on gratitude.    
 

How do we focus on love and gratitude in a difficult situation like this?  We focus on these values when things are going well in our lives, so it is easier to do when things are difficult.  Many years ago, as a team, we created our own set of core values to be our compass to guide us in making decisions for ourselves and others.  We share these values so you can understand our perspective and what is most important to us.  Briefly, they are:  
 

Honesty – We are truthful, transparent and authentic.  

Excellence – We take pride in our work and seek mastery through continuous improvement.  

Responsibility – We take ownership of our commitments and are accountable for the results.  

Relationships – We care deeply through connection, communication and respect.  

Optimism – We embrace positive thinking and enthusiasm.  

Gratitude – We appreciate the opportunity to serve and give more than we receive.  
 

As we prioritize next steps, I see, more than ever before, how this value compass guides us to clarity on who we are and how we choose to respond.  Rather than focusing on fear or anger, I choose to focus on our core values.  I am filled with gratitude for the people out there that called the fire department preventing the fire from spreading further than our property, for my teammates that continue to work tirelessly to serve our clients, for this amazing community that has shown us love, kindness and support, and for the fact that we are a “paperless” office allowing us to continue working without loss of any files.  We can share this experience with you, and your support fuels our hope for the future and our ability to come back even stronger as a team and a company.  I look forward to the day that I can invite you onto the office porch for a cup of coffee.  Until then, thanks for continuing to trust us to serve your needs.  We are ready to help.