Holtz Realty

There have been of late some interesting articles written about how families as well as groups of people and even entire communities have been studied in the areas of how they perceive themselves and those around them. What some of the researchers have found is that for some reason, there seems to be some sort of unknown force that affects people and those near them to have either negative or positive attitudes and outlooks in the forefront of their lives. There was one study that centered around a hospital and re-habilitation center that decided to encourage people from the community to come and visit the patients with only the attitudes in mind that the patients would get better. They were encouraged to pray, or meditate, or even just sit and hold the hands of those in need. Everyone who came for visitation were briefed similarly; they were not to bring with them any excess baggage of negativity with them. They were to in a sense encouraged to “wash themselves” of any ill wills or thoughts before entering the confine. Weeks passed along without any grand visible accomplishments. Several weeks later the doctors arrived and tests on the patients were taken. To the dis-belief of the doctors, the patients were recovering in fashions that neared being included in a research text book. Then started the grilling of the staff and anyone and everyone at the centers regarding what had been changed in their diets as well as medications. The doctors had nearly everyone beside themselves because there was nothing done differently other than the visitors from the “outside” coming to spend time with the patients. Likely everyone working in the field of medicine would still today consider what happened was just an anomaly. I’m not sure if I would go that far. Having worked with endless numbers of families, there has always seemed to be a strange thread that is weaved through families and communities either in positive or negative ways. One story that I share with few is about a family that owned many acres of land far from here. There was something that happened within that family that started a great melt down. Over the twenty some years that I knew them as well as encouraging them to right the wrongs that I freely spoke about, they continued to travel on their invisible paths. When I walked away from this once-upon-a-time beautiful working farm site for the last time, I was nearly in tears because I knew whomever of that family built that place and created a wonderful life, must have rolled over in his or her grave. The reason I speak of this is that the living family members that I was in contact with were always taking conversations to the dark side. Don’t get me wrong, they were good people but there was always blanket of negativity around them. Perhaps today they would be living on that grand farm if only they learned how to wish well.