02Jul 2014 by CJ

Life is all about timing – but you’ve got to have patience

Life & Living
The last time I posted I was still living in New Jersey – the place I called home for almost 40 years. But today I’m posting from some 1,800 miles away in Colorado – the place my wife and I have decided to start the next chapter of our lives together. The weeks leading up to our official move date on the 24th of June were difficult – both emotionally and logistically. But as of today we’ve been residents of Colorado for exactly one week, and truthfully are finding the adjustment period somewhat difficult. For starters we’re living with family. And while we enjoy their company and appreciate the hospitality and generosity they’ve given us, it’s not “our” home. Our home is now packed up in storage crates back on…
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11Jun 2014 by CJ

Do you put relationships on your to-do-lists?

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
Take a look at your life and ask yourself, what’s on my to-do-list? Our lives are often filled to capacity with an excess of errands, chores and commitments – pulling us in different directions and robbing us of the more memorable moments life has to offer. We prioritize our lives based upon what we believe to be important and inadvertently forget about the people we always assume will be around when our to-do-lists are finally complete. It’s funny how our lists seem to focus so much on taking care of responsibilities, yet pay little attention to taking care of the people who provide our lives with infinite meaning. Imagine turning off all the distractions of life to interact with that special someone who’s been sitting right next to, yet somehow…
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10Jun 2014 by CJ

Believing our struggles are worse than everyone else’s

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
Morning commutes are often long and tedious – a direct result of overpopulation and continual construction projects being undertaken on our heavily traveled roadways. One Friday morning I was running incredibly late, and as you might expect in this situation, highway traffic was at a standstill. My patience was already wearing incredibly thin and it wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning! To help maintain some sanity, I decided to exit the highway and navigate through back roads and side streets in the hopes of avoiding any more congestion. Within minutes, I was relieved to again see the needle on my speedometer approaching 35 miles per hour. But it didn’t take long for my morning commute to again come to a screeching halt. This time I found myself stuck behind…
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05Jun 2014 by CJ

Respect is a two way street

Life & Living, Youth
Fred Rogers once said, “All we’re ever asked to do in this life is to treat our neighbor exactly as we would hope to be treated ourselves. That’s our ultimate responsibility.” Interesting how Rogers thinks it’s the human race’s “responsibility” to be kind to others. While I have a great deal of admiration for the man, I have a feeling many find being mindful and respectful of others more of a chore than a responsibility. Today you’d be hard pressed to identify those willing to buy into Rogers’s notion that it’s “our ultimate responsibility” to do unto others. The statement however does bring to mind a virtue that lately has vanished quicker than your average pop princess – the art of respect. Respect is about understanding and accepting the differences…
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03Jun 2014 by CJ

Learning a history lesson – your own

Life & Living, Youth
Many of us aren’t all that interested in hearing stories of the past recanted by our relatives. But for me, I always enjoy hearing how life was drastically different so many years ago. And while progress has certainly made our lives easier and medical advances have allowed us to live longer, I’m still not convinced that our lives are better all around. My grandmother often told me the following story, which became known as “the food on a rope story”. My grandmother came from a family of nine brothers and sisters. Her mother stayed home to raise the children in their modest North Bergen, NJ apartment, while her father earned a living as a furniture refinisher. Money was always tight for this large family, as were the sleeping quarters –…
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