17Nov 2011 by CJ

A high school yearbook reveals where tomorrow’s happiness grows

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
On the bottom shelf of a bookcase in my guest room, tightly pressed between a pair of Funk & Wagnalls dictionaries and a large Bible my wife received from her grandfather, is an old, tattered looking book. It’s about the size of a magazine, with a pale blue hard cover and yellowed packing tape holding the torn binding together. It’s my grandmother’s high school yearbook. It was June 13th, 1940. The high school auditorium was filled with eager family and friends, all anticipating the upcoming ceremony scheduled to begin at 8:15 pm. This was the day my grandmother, Agnes Adamo, graduated. According to the program, which was safely tucked between the pages of the yearbook, the songs “God Bless America”, “I Love a Little Cottage” and “A Song of Peace”…
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16Nov 2011 by CJ

Elephant orphan discovers that prosthetics are not just for humans

Information & Education, Life & Living
  [caption id="attachment_642" align="alignleft" width="300"] Truly amazing![/caption] Chhouk is a 5 year old bull elephant orphan who probably wouldn't be alive today if not for the care he received from Nick Marx, the Director of Wildlife Rescue and Care at the Wildlife Alliance. Chhouk was found in the Cambodian jungle back in 2007 - scared, alone and very close to death with his left front foot mangled by a poacher's trap. Elephants are known for being some of the most emotional animals alive. Having been just a baby elephant orphan when he was found, I can only imagine how fearful young Chhouk must have been. "I really thought he would never make it," said Nick Marx, today stroking Chhouk's trunk with a sense of pride and affection. "He was seriously…
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04Nov 2011 by CJ

A picture is worth a thousand words to a orphan who has none

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
Did you ever really think a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, they might be if pictures were a luxury you never had around. Television news programs are typically comprised of an endless array of negative story lines, which bring down even the most optimistic of souls. Even the weather report can be cause for anxiety at times. Beloved neighbor Fred Rogers once said that “The media shows the tiniest percentage of what people do. There are millions and millions of people doing wonderful things all over the world, and they’re generally not the ones being touted in the news.” Back in 2006, CBS news featured a story about “people doing wonderful things.” It was titled “Precious Images Give Orphans Hope” – the story of how one man’s compassion…
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02Nov 2011 by CJ

An older home was designed to be purposeful not to impress others

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
Many years ago I had a conversation with my grandmother regarding the smaller room size and lack of closet space many older homes such as mine share in common. My 1930's side-hall colonial was constructed in the same decade that the Empire State Building was completed, Parker Brothers released the now famous “Monopoly” board game and Amelia Earhart made her historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Grams looked at me funny for a moment before saying, “You forget, we didn't have as many things as you kids have today and we were better off for it. In older homes you went to your bedroom to sleep, your kitchen was just for preparing food and with only a handful of dresses, your closet never needed to be that big.” My grandmother…
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28Oct 2011 by CJ

A record player could spin a song that stirs a cherished memory

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
As a youngster I was always fascinated by a record player, remember those? No matter how they were packaged or sized, for some reason I just loved their functionality - even drawing pictures of them in art class when I was in first grade. I might be alone on this one, but truthfully I miss not having one around. Back in the day, it wasn't uncommon for many living rooms to feature a piece of furniture which resembled an enclosed console table. But cleverly housed inside was in fact a record player, speakers and even some storage for 33's and 45's (record sizes for those of you who don't remember). My grandparents were one such household, and as you can imagine I loved going there and listening to a few…
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