It won’t be long now and fall will be in full swing. The nights will start getting cooler, the days getting shorter, and did you see that beautiful harvest moon last week? Soon the farmers will be out harvesting their crops, the results of their hard work during the growing seasons of spring and summer. School has started and the favorite fall pastime of football season is kicking off near you. Fall is a great time of year!

On your home’s journey toward culture change and person-directed care using the Eden Alternative, you also experience seasons. You experience times when everything is just right to plant the seeds of change. You invest heavily in educating, involving, planning and implementing those new ideas. Then, if you have done well, you reach the time of harvest, when you can see those efforts pay off in benefits to all care partners.

Just as we take time to breathe a little deeper and enjoy the fall warmth and explosions of color in the out-of-doors, do not forget to do the same within your home. What harvest has your home been reaping from its efforts at transformation this summer? Are you noticing, sharing and celebrating the successes you are seeing, no matter how small? Sometimes when we as leaders have our eye on the bigger vision of where we are leading, we forget to stop and breathe deeply, and celebrate what is happening right before our eyes.

Recognize and celebrate the harvest that has been sown in your home’s journey! It is what keeps people energized and motivated to move forward, to dig deeper, to try to take it to the next level. It will also help make them stronger should the cold winds of winter blow in the door. You are making a difference everyday in the lives of so many others … celebrate!