Our children have all grown and flown.  Over the last 15 months as an empty nester, I was left with a question and tossed it to the rest of the family: What are the lasting Acton “takeaways” for our family?

We all agreed there are two big lessons we carry with us:

• Strong, healthy relationships take intentional effort.
• Creating rituals is the key to deepening the connection to self and others. 

Simply put: we need each other and we need ritual in our human experience.

Then a new question arose: How can I package up a ritual to help families grow stronger together?

And so began my creation of, “Be Family” –  a white and orange box pretty enough to keep out on your kitchen table. In it are the pieces to create a ritual at dinner – matches, a candle and a deck of cards with questions for each person to share a bit of themselves.

The instructions are simple:

• Turn off all phones. This is a no-tech, human experience. Be together.
• Light the candle to create the moment. Be present.
• Choose one card. Each person shares. Be curious.
• Stop after one card. Just let your conversation go where it will. There are 60 cards for 60 meals. Whether you do this three times a week or more or less, the simple act of sitting together, lighting the candle and sharing will begin a ritual that will bind your family closer together.

“Be Family” is available now by clicking here. I’m producing only one batch so if you want one for Thanksgiving or to begin your family ritual now, grab one soon. I hope you and yours love it!