I realized the other day that it has now been 5 years since my husband and I first moved forward with the idea of opening a clinic for children and families. About that same time when we began trying to think of what we would name it. The process of making that decision ranks as second only to agreeing on names for our four children! Let’s just say there were many ideas bounced around, and many lists were created and tossed. It is a difficult thing to capture both purpose and personality in a name that resonates with people.

As we wrestled with this, there were two words that continued to grab us – connections and horizons. We were driving in the car one day, and the name “Connections Center” came to mind. I quickly wrote it down on a scrap of paper so I wouldn’t forget it. Later that night after the kids were in bed, I sat down and Googled “Connections Center” only to find that it already existed. For those of you who don’t know this, the Connections Center in Houston is the clinic where Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) ® was founded. To this day I know it was no coincidence that I thought of that name. I had not heard of RDI ® before, but had been seeking a treatment philosophy and program that addressed what I found lacking in everything else. Suddenly, the search for a name for my new clinic had led me to the program that would later certify me and become the philosophical foundation of our clinic.

I then decided that we would use the word “horizons” in our name. Why Horizons? I have always loved the imagery and symbolism of the horizon – that point where the earth and the sky meet, where beautiful sunrises and sunsets exist, and where you can reflect on what isn’t yet but has the potential to be. Lynn Walker Huntley said, “The horizon line, which is always before us, is our future. It embodies not what is but the promise of what can be…You must help show all those whose lives you touch to develop a vision of what can be and the skills to make that vision a reality!” This resonates with me as the core mission our clinic—helping families look to the future and the promise it holds, and learn to do the daily work to make that future a reality. I view the journey of life as one where we are moving continually toward the horizon. The thing about the horizon is that we never reach an endpoint – it is always out there ahead of us, guiding us forward, and leading us to new experiences along the way. We reach one point and realize that there is still more ahead. Such is the journey of life, and such is the journey of parenting our children.

Our clinic’s mission is to ensure that no family ever stops looking to and moving toward the horizon as a result of a child’s disability. I have witnessed too many families who, upon receiving a diagnosis, get stuck with their head down. They become focused on the immediate step in front of them, instead of looking to the horizon and all the potential it holds. These families especially need to keep their heads up, looking to the horizon and gaining forward momentum to continue the journey. Life should be lived to the fullest, and the journey must go on regardless of the disabilities that may get in the way. Using the word horizons in our name is an attempt to capture that image and meaning. Everyone has their own personal horizon that guides and fuels their journey, and we walk alongside families to support them in that process.

You can see that the selection of our clinic name was a defining process for us in many ways. It led us to discovering RDI ® , our core treatment philosophy and approach; and it led us to defining our mission. Over the past 5 years, a lot of things around here have grown and changed; but our purpose and mission of guiding families toward the horizon has remained the same. I’ll leave you to consider one of my favorite quotes, which is actually a Norwegian proverb:

“Look not to the ground for your next step. Greatness lies with those who look to the horizon.”

If you already have your eyes on the horizon, then keep moving toward it! If you’ve been living with your head down, looking only to your next step, take a moment to think about what’s out there up ahead. Allow yourself to look to the horizon and recognize that it is not the next single step that’s important, but the combination of many steps that will lead you toward it.