Seedlings

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Recent Posts

  • The Value of a Plan
  • That’s a Peacock – Not a Weird Chicken
  • The Dream Box
  • Guest Blog - Kite Flying
  • The Pillars of Purposeful Philanthropy
  • The 2013 Rendezvous -- Calling All Purposeful Planning Collaborators
  • An Elder's Prayer
  • Vision and Sight – Watch With Both Eyes
  • The Calculus of Love -- A Formula for Enduring Legacies
  • Father of the Year….or Father for Today?

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  • May 2014
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
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  • March 2013

The Seedlings Story

Welcome to Seedlings, a blog which focuses on ideas, trends, and best practices for successfully launching next generation family members in life and business.  We hope to attract a broad spectrum of individuals who are deeply interested in the flourishing of individuals and the strengthening of the fabric of relationships which connect individuals within families, trusts, family businesses and foundations. 

Our virtual community costs nothing in terms of a monetary subscription.  But it requires the implicit dues of participation: we expect it to be highly interactive.  After all, if we are interested in the flourishing of individuals shouldn’t we be naturally inclined to share our best insights in the hope all will benefit from our generosity?

Redwood

Why the Redwood Seedling as the Symbol of Our Blog?

I’ve been fascinated by the interconnectedness and sustainability of the redwood grove, a family of trees which thrives for up to two millennia.  The two biggest threats to the redwood are wind and fire.  Its thick bark allows the mature redwood to survive all but the hottest of fires.  But the redwood’s secret to surviving the gale force winds from the Pacific Ocean is an interconnected root system.

The redwood tree, which can grow as tall as a 35 story skyscraper, amazingly lacks a tap root.  Instead, the root system of the redwood tree is surprisingly shallow, no deeper than 6-12 feet. But the redwood trees share a hidden secret. 

Underneath the surface of the grove their roots all intertwine, so much so that they are locked to each other. This interconnected root system gives the trees so much strength that they stand strong when storms come and winds blow. Not only do the redwoods support and protect each other through their root system but the redwood tree is a dramatic example of generativity in many other ways.  For example, fallen redwood logs serve as nurseries for the growth of seedlings.   And the redwood seed is smaller than a tomato seed and yet it can produce a tree that can easily house the Statue of Liberty.  

Redwoods are a wonderfully rich symbol for interconnectedness, growth, and generativity.

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Great Reads

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    Charles W. Collier: Wealth in Families

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