F.I.A.T.M.: ALL

Words: 581
Read Time: 2:03

This week we are looking into the word,ALL. Feel comfortable reviewing the previous two posts where we are taking a deep dive into the foundation of F.I.A.T.M., Family Is All That Matters. As a brief recap, we discussed the word family.  Last week we talked about the word is. Yes, we did. As I shared earlier I absolutely LOVE words. It thrills me to discover and remind myself of the meaning and applications of words. I find that we as a society progress and regress simultaneously in the area of communicating thoughts with words. This is the impetus of why we are taking our time with the nexus of F.I.A.T.M.. Hopefully you are discovering that what you name something is important. With thoughtful consideration you’ll notice how synergistic the individual and collective meanings of Family Is All That Matters is with its mission.

 All is a very unique and flexible word in that it is an adjective, a noun, adverb and a pronoun. A few definitions of all according to dictionary.com is: the whole of, the whole number of, the greatest possible, whatever, one’s whole interest, entirely; completely. All is a very impressive word that bridges the two words on either side (Family Is) (That Matters)! It’s the connector. Bedrock. Foundation. One of the tricks I use in understanding words is including the definition in the sentence or phrase. In this case, Family Is All (the whole number of, the greatest possible, completely, whatever, one’s whole interest) That Matters. Look at the way it takes on a whole new meaning. Rest in knowing that when decisions are being made the filter of yay or nay are sifted through our messaging: Is This Best For Our F.I.A.T.M. Family? If it passes the litmus test, you guessed it, it passes. If it’s not, it’s on the chopping block. Taking a cummulative view of the whole number served drives every decision. There are many obvious reasons why this matters (see what I did there?). First and foremost is the consistency that having a standard for arriving at decisions creates stability. Stability is important when you decide to participate in the lives of others, especially the youth. They need to know that we will be there for them. Many of which have rarely experienced that feeling of security. Secondly, our partners and sponsors need to know that we do what we say! It reinforces that they made the right decision investing in the youth via F.I.A.T.M.. It simply makes them feel good. Lastly, which may sound a little selfish, we as an organization want to feel good about ourselves. We desire to continue raising the bar on what we do, why we do what we do and how we do it.

So, the next time you’re in a conversation and the person you’re communicating with expresses that they want to give back to the community, feel comfortable giving them my email address: [email protected]. I’d love to discuss with them ways to get involved.

Next week, you guessed it we’ll be discussing the word that. Until next week, stay blessed!!!


Jacqui Dobens

Byline: Jacqui Dobens has many monikers. Her favorite by far is, Loud Fun Machine. Her loud and infectious laughter gives others around her permission to lighten up and have FUN!