14Feb 2016 by CJ

Regrets have no place in the present

Life & Living
“It’s not just other people we need to forgive. We also need to forgive ourselves. For all the things we didn’t do. For all the things we should have done. You can’t get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened.” – Mitch Albom My wife and I are in the process of planning a trip to New Jersey. New Jersey you might ask? Of all the places in the world to visit? We spent the first 39 years of our lives there. That’s where we met, got married, bought our first home and countless other memories too numerous to mention. But beyond that, when we moved to Colorado almost two years ago, the most difficult thing to leave behind were some truly amazing people we were fortunate enough…
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11Feb 2016 by CJ

Effective communication, is it really that hard?

Life & Living, Youth
“Every word has consequences. Every silence, too.” – Jean-Paul Sartre There’s a delicate balance which exists in the way we communicate. Some people lack a social filter – often saying whatever comes to their mind with little consideration of how those words might affect other people. Others are more comfortable staying silent – possessing a relevant and many times astute opinion, but refusing to share it with anyone around them. The place to be is somewhere in the middle really. Telling someone who spent much of the day preparing a meal from scratch that it wasn’t very good is not a constructive use of words (or a suggested reaction for newly married couples trying to impress their spouse). Sitting by idly with no opinion or feedback when someone is seeking…
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10Feb 2016 by CJ

Feeling down? Just grab a spoon!

Life & Living, Youth
“When I’m feeling down, I make myself a big bowl of Up Soup. The bowl only looks empty, but in reality it’s full of hope. Grab a spoon, there’s plenty for both of us.” — Jarod Kintz, A Zebra is the Piano of the Animal Kingdom Today was my “feeling down” day. That typically encompasses feelings of loss and loneliness from the past, not to mention frustration over current situations I’m simply unable to “fix” right now. I don’t wake up in the morning proclaiming that I’m going to start off my day feeling down, but people and circumstances beyond my own control often set those wheels in motion. It’s difficult to reframe your mindset – to refocus your attention on the many blessings your life’s been afforded, rather than…
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09Feb 2016 by CJ

Appreciate the simple times that make you happy

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
“Please notice when you are happy – and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” – Kurt Vonnegut There are days when my wife and I relish simply sitting in our yard on a beautiful spring day, listening to the peacefulness of nature and basking in the amazing glow of nature’s sunlight. There are snowy nights when we sit bundled up in two or three blankets, while the glow of a nearby fire illuminates the room and two steaming cups of hot cocoa warm our souls. There are moments when the two of us are cooking together in the kitchen – me usually making a mess and cleaning it up, while she utilizes her talents to create culinary masterpieces I…
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02Feb 2016 by CJ

Problems only get solved if you see them

Life & Living
Albert Einstein lived between 1879 and 1955 and yet this quote is probably more fitting today than on the day he originally said it: "There's been a quantum leap technologically in our age, but unless there's another quantum leap in human relations, unless we learn to live in a new way towards one another, there will be a catastrophe."  Turn on any news program, visit any related site online or step foot outside you very own door and chances are you won’t have to look far to witness the “catastrophe” Einstein is speaking of. It’s the year 2016, and I won’t argue that our society has made quantum leaps in technology – many of which I admittedly utilize on a daily basis with much satisfaction. But while technology has progressed…
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