17Aug 2015 by CJ

Alzheimer’s disease is not a sign to stop loving

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
It’s a miraculous and humbling sight to see a young grandmother holding her three-month old grand-daughter – especially when that grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease. It’s obvious the old instincts of motherhood (to which she is no stranger) are still very much alive and well (at least for a little while). Anyone who’s watched a loved one suddenly fade away due to this horrific illness, understands the difficulty in seeing the person you remember with your eyes, only to find a stranger has taken their place. But as I’ve come to realize (and cherish) every so often they come back to us. Maybe not 100%, but enough to remind us they’re still here, still living and still in need of our love – perhaps more so than ever before. Maybe it’s…
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16Aug 2015 by CJ

Distractions – don’t let them rob your life of time

Life & Living, Youth
“Happiness can only be found if you can free yourself of all other distractions.” -Saul Bellow Recently, I found myself stepping back in time – riding aboard a railway train pulled by a steam engine locomotive built in the year 1925. One look at the lead car was enough to reveal its age – years of service, engine emissions and no doubt neglect weathering the appearance of this once majestic engineering marvel. Yet even at 90 years old, the locomotive had little trouble pulling the passenger cars behind it – seeming almost effortless as it made its way down the long stretch of track. I was riding on the Cumbres & Toltec scenic railroad – America’s longest and highest narrow gauge railroad. It was originally conceived as a way to…
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13Aug 2015 by CJ

New friendships – exciting and challenging at the same time

Life & Living, Youth
“We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.” - Unknown When we go off to college, get a new job or even move to another state, we’re given an opportunity to make new friends. While the majority of those we encounter along the journey fall into the category of “acquaintance,” if you find yourself saying things like, “gee, I could see myself being around this person on a regular basis” - chances are you’ve found yourself a new friend. I love this quote by C. JoyBell C. - “There are still some wonderful people left in this world! They are diamonds in the rough, but they're around! You'll find them when you fall down– they're the ones who pick you up, who don't…
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10Aug 2015 by CJ

Relationships will never go unchanged

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
“Everything in life is temporary, so if things are going good enjoy it because it won’t last forever. And if things are going bad, don’t worry. It can’t last forever either.” Truthfollower.com Anyone who believes that relationships remain unchanged as the years go by is slightly naïve. Whether it’s a friendship, a romantic or familial relationship, or even a professional connection, if there’s one thing you can be certain of it’s that human beings are destined to evolve as they grow and mature. Relationships of any kind require nurturing and continual effort in order to be successful. They flourish when provided with enough respect, compassion and honesty to keep the lines of communication and affection alive and well. However practicing those character traits is not always easy or appealing to…
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04Aug 2015 by CJ

Leadership qualities – more about character than position

Life & Living
Be it in our government offices, our educational institutions, the places we work or even in our own homes, each day we’re presented with actors who think they’re portraying the role of a “successful leader”. The reality is that title exists in name only. Society is filled with two types of people: those who lead and those who simply “boss” people around. Sound familiar? There is a fine line between the two and as most of us come to realize as we journey through life, there seems to be more of the later. Leaders are not successful because of the skills they possess, but rather for the trust and respect they gain from others. These skills are not easily attained from a text book, seminar or through bullying techniques often…
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