Don’t look down on others – instead find reasons to be grateful

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living, Love & Relationships
“We judge others instantly by their clothes, their cars, their appearance, their race, their education, their social status. The list is endless. What gets me is that most people decide who another person is before they have even spoken to them. What's even worse is that these same people decide who someone else is, and don't even know who they are themselves.” ― Ashly Lorenzana What does it say about a person who continually puts down others who lack the good fortunes that they do? Now I’m not speaking about those who abuse our system or have no idea what financial responsibility truly means. I’m speaking about those who find themselves continually plagued by life’s struggles – those who have a heart of gold and a spirit that radiates hope,…
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Remembering our soldiers during the most wonderful time of the year

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living, Love & Relationships
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” - Joseph Campbell As we all sit in the warmth, comfort and safety of our homes this holiday season, it’s easy to forget about the thousands of soldiers stationed half way across the world – making the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms every one of us takes for granted daily. I thought about this recently as my wife and I were decorating our home for Christmas – the sound of holiday tunes joyfully playing in the background; a comforting glow radiating from the fire place; a steaming cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows warming us from the winter chill. Beyond the simple pleasure holiday decorations seem to bring, we had each other to…
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Give thanks to the people who bring your life joy and peace

Generosity & Kindness, Love & Relationships
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”  Marcel Proust This Thanksgiving, while you’re busy watching the football game, cleaning up the dinner table and planning your Black Friday shopping experience, take a moment to give thanks to the people in your life that we so often take for granted. As our lives settle into a routine, I think it’s easy for all of us to just assume that the people in our lives will be here for an infinite amount of time. But that’s not reality. Life is filled with unpredictability, which can easily rob us of our time here on earth. Giving thanks to those who’ve brought joy, laughter and care to our lives on…
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Going out on a “date” can truly ease another’s loneliness

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living, Love & Relationships
The other day I read an interesting article about a wife who told her husband she was going to set him up on a date. When I first read that line you can imagine how many things were running through my head – how many assumptions I was making about what kind of couple they were. I was wrong. It turns out she was setting her husband up on a date with his mother. The story tells that the husband had made very little time for his mother over the years, and this was the only way she could think of to get him to spend more quality time with her. The mother of course was overjoyed by her daughter-in-laws matchmaking abilities. She was so excited to spend this quality…
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One who always complains has a tough time being thankful

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
When was the last time you said “thank you” to someone? I don’t mean a half-hearted muttering of words with little appreciation to back them up. But an honest and sincere expression of two little words that can mean the difference between feeling taken advantage of and feeling loved and respected. Saying “thank you” is just good manners, wouldn’t you say? To recognize an act of kindness by another human being lets us know that we’re making a difference in someone’s life – that we’ve been influential and inspiring, sometimes when people need it most. But I realize life isn’t a Hallmark movie, and people rarely if ever behave with any kind of moral conduct and compassion towards those living around them. For some they believe they are the entitled…
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