Transition:	G1 through G2 to G3
Context:	Large fortune with strong patriarch
Brief:	The family consists of a patriarch and matriarch with two daughters and their husbands as well as eight grandchildren ranging in age from 6 to 19.  The family has a deep Christian faith.  The patriarch is a deeply caring person who operates by a deeply held code.  He has a large personality and is wife and daughters are generally quieter in his presence, but can be forceful in their own right.  The grandchildren are deeply loved by both their parents and their grandparents.
Challenge:	The core concerns that arose in interviews had to do with events from the past that were not openly discussed and deemed unproductive to address.  Everyone was concerned about the impact of the wealth on G3.
Bright spots:	This is a family that loves each other deeply and is engaged in one another’s lives.  Communication is largely functional and open. The family has fun together and enjoys their relationships.  G1 and G2 truly want to see intergenerational success and are willing to personally change to ensure that that happens.
Gathering:	One day facilitation with G1 and G2 out of a two and half day event focused on forgiveness and addressing issues of entitlement.
Meeting Design:	Because this was a deeply spiritual family, we opened with prayer and used passages from the New Testament to talk about love and acceptance. We then engaged in ritual of forgiveness that was meaningful and fun which allowed the family to acknowledge and bring some degree of closure to the past without having to delve into these events in difficult conversations.  We then explored communication styles to help family members understand one another’s basic modes of interaction and their stress reactions. Finally we spent a good deal of time addressing entitlement and working through the differences between transfers, gifts and investments and the importance of agreements as a means to address concerns of entitlement.  The family was able to see the patriarch create space for them to open up and more fully participate and he was able to see his children and sons-in-law in some new ways.
Results:	The family is communicating more fully and is engaged with each other on a more productive basis.  The parents are more comfortable in making decisions about how to address their own concerns about entitlement.  The grandparents are modifying their behavior to support the parents in their work with their children.  The family is using the communication tools in their marriages and with each other. The patriarch said to his financial advisors after the meeting that it was the first time he had hope that his dreams for the family would be realized and that his wealth would be a blessing to them rather than a burden.