30May 2014 by CJ

Everyone deserves to hear the words “thank you”

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
My wife is one of the eternal givers of this world. Be it personally or professionally, she possesses an admirable compassion – always giving much more than any one situation might require. Having known her for some 15 years now, I can tell you with great certainty that she is the epitome of humility – more concerned with offering support and care, than obtaining praise for her actions. I consider myself truly blessed that I get to wake up each day and share my life with such an amazing individual. But regardless of her humble nature, I believe she deserves to hear those few little words every now and then – “thank you”. It’s so easy to take people for granted – to assume that someone’s actions are simply expected…
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28May 2014 by CJ

Separating what is fact from fiction

Life & Living, Youth
Phil Collins’ popular song entitled, Both Sides of the Story contains the following lyrics: And the lights are all on, the world is watching now. People looking for truth, we must not fail them now. Be sure, before we close our eyes, Don’t walk away from here, till you hear both sides. Today, more than ever, Americans are searching, longing for the truth. But in our quest for answers we often forget that every story, much like a coin, has two sides to it. Sadly, we’ll listen to whoever might be speaking the loudest at any given moment. Does that mean their story is factual and relevant? No, it simply means they realize that in order to deflect blame from themselves they have to publicly blame someone else. It’s a…
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21May 2014 by CJ

YOU have to make the decision to move on

Life & Living
Regardless of one’s good intentions - void of malice or spite - things don’t usually work out as we’d like them to. It’s funny, no matter how much you try to convince yourself of the possibility for a positive outcome, there’s always that little part of your brain that knows your expectations are highly unrealistic. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s to be hopeful for the future, because sometimes life does in fact surprise you. Unfortunately, this post is not being written about one of those occasions. Jodi Picoult, author of Salem Falls writes: “Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall.” Writing this blog, I’m well aware of how…
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08May 2014 by CJ

Masculinity should be defined by MORE than just strength

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
Our society has long proclaimed what they believe comprises the measure of a man – courage and bravery; dominance and power; unfeeling and cold. These distinctions are nothing new however. From the dawn of the caveman to the ancient Romans to those roaming the earth this very day, men have continuously defined themselves by their strength, NOT their emotions. We see sensitivity and emotional expression as a flaw in the armor that protects the reputation of masculinity – often questioning any man who dances to the beat of a much different drum. I’ve personally spent years battling this stigma – always more in tune with my emotional side, rather than caring to support the antiquated beliefs of my gender. I’ve come to understand that the measure of one’s manhood goes…
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07May 2014 by CJ

Processed foods and rubber shoes should have nothing in common

Information & Education, Life & Living
Subway, one of the biggest bread makers in the world, recently removed a chemical from its bread recipe that’s typically used to increase elasticity in everything from yoga mats to rubber shoes to imitation leather. Soft drink giant Coca-Cola, following Pepsi’s lead, recently said it will begin removing brominated vegetable oil (BVO) from its drinks. BVO is a flame retardant often used on plastics and kids clothing. At times it’s almost unfathomable to think of how many chemical substances are allowed on the recipe cards of processed and fast foods. While the FDA might exist to protect the public’s health, I can’t help but wonder how they honestly believe examples like I’ve mentioned above will not negatively affect a person’s body over time. Are they simply naïve? Are they yet…
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