“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
— William James
It is easy to get caught up in the typical end-of-the-year whirlwind as we wrap up loose ends professionally while simultaneously making the holiday magical for those we love and bearable for those in our community who are in need.
We get lost in the struggle between finalizing cases and closing deals by the end of the month, and finding the perfect gifts for our children or the perfect spot to host our office holiday party. As beleaguered attorneys, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, caretakers, and friends, we sometimes feel like we’ve been run ragged by the holidays and ask ourselves: what is it all for?
As we often do at Brousseau Naftis Erick & Massingill, we turn to our late mentor and founder, Maryann Sarris Brousseau for the answer to this question. Because she was never hesitant to tell you exactly what she was thinking, and because she was so rarely wrong (in her opinion, at least), we’ve discovered that we can usually divine exactly the type of advice she would impart in most situations. And if she were to see us second-guessing our choice to fulfill the needs of our clients, loved ones, and the community during what can be the most harried time of the year, she would tell us — quite frankly — that everything we do makes a difference. So, we should just do it.
Maryann lived each day believing deeply that everything she did made a difference. Whether it was a phone call to a client, a connection she made between people, or a difficult case she took on, she knew her impact on it would be immeasurable. She felt this way especially with the work she did with local charities, not only recognizing the difference her fundraising efforts or donations would have, but also that her hands-on approach to charitable giving — whether it was serving food to those in need or serving on the board of an organization helping those less fortunate — made a huge difference to those with whom and for whom she worked. To take action was to make a difference. So, she did so every day.
Following Maryann’s example and intuiting her advice, in addition to faithfully guiding our clients to make a difference in their lives, our Firm also tries to make a difference in the lives of our community by taking action through charitable giving and service.
This past year, we sponsored events for Goodwill Dallas, Austin Street Center, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, and Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep. We served as Board members and provided pro bono legal work both directly to some of these charities, as well as to St. Vincent de Paul-North Texas and through the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. We also volunteered our time and service to some of the organizations we sponsored, as well as Way Into Music 503(c)(3) and Operation Christmas Child. One of our Firm dogs even made a difference this year by acting as a therapy dog at assisted living facilities in Dallas.
Everything we do makes a difference, in big ways and small, and there is no better time to account for the differences made than at the end of the year. So, when the final orders have been entered, the closings have been funded, the presents are wrapped, and you finally sit down at the holiday table you carefully prepared, take some time to look around and see the difference you made all around you.
