I’m not sure if you’ve ever caught the movie Avalon.

It’s a 1990 Barry Levinson film that was nominated for four Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. Why all the acclaim?

The movie tells the story of Sam Krichinsky, a Polish Jewish immigrant, who arrives in the United States full of hope for his future. When he first arrives, he’s part of a big extended family—sharing space, sharing dinners, lots of noise, lots of kids…well, family. Sam marries, achieves some level of financial independence, moves to the suburbs, and away from the extended family. He goes into business, but a fire destroys their dream and with it their life and family shrink. In the end, Sam is alone in a retirement home with an occasional visit from family.

Underneath the story line, the movie asks a troubling question: What’s the key to lasting family?

And the movie provides some answers without being preachy:

1. Stick together. Family matters.
2. Family gatherings matter. Aunts, uncles, extended family.
3. Deal with conflict — otherwise it can be a cancer that undercuts everything.
4. Remember your story. Remember when you came from.  Tell that story so the next generations don’t forget where you came from.
5. Write, down, articulate and share your values. We drift when we don’t know our values.
6. Don’t get so busy building a business that you forget family. In the end, all you’ll have will be family.
7. It’s worth it. Fight for it.

Lasting family. It’s doable. It’s possible. Don’t give up. We’ve seen it. Our work at Vyne Legacy (www.vynelegacy.com) is to provide families a path and a plan for generational success.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published September 26, 2022

Topics: Family Legacy | Lessons with Bill

American ValuesBiblical LegacyFamily LegacyGenerationsLessons with BillMulti-Generational