14Dec 2012 by CJ

Parking ticket – my mistake and lesson learned

Life & Living
The other night, while visiting a friend in the hospital, I decided to park on the street – refusing to pay their $6 parking garage fee. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t notice the bus stop sign near the edge of my back bumper and got a parking ticket. Now it’s been a while since I’ve taken a driver’s ed class, but my wife (the rule keeper in life) assures me that parking in front of a bus stop sign (not a booth) is in fact an offense. And so as you might have guessed, I was greeted with a ticket when I returned to my car. Normally, I would try and argue my way out of it with a well crafted letter – with some success I might add. But…
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14Dec 2012 by CJ

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander

Information & Education, Life & Living
Human beings amuse me at times - okay, many times. And sometimes, I find there's nothing more profound than the old adage, "what's good for the goose is good for the gander". How often have you witnessed a shocked reaction over your disrespectful behavior from either a parent, employer or spouse, and wondered why they were so surprised by your public display? I say this because many times human beings are only emulating what they see and hear from the people they spend a great deal of time with. After all, if your behaviors are regularly deemed “acceptable,” then why wouldn’t they be acceptable for everyone else, right? I’ll tell you why, because many times their actions are NOT acceptable behaviors in society, just for themselves. Funny how they’ll never…
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13Dec 2012 by CJ

Seize those precious moments before you find yourself out of time

Life & Living
I just found out that a dear friend I used to work with and still keep in contact has fallen ill, and ultimately may need treatments in order to combat what ails her. It's during times like these when you realize how those precious moments in life mean so much. It was a phone call you never expect to get, and certainly never want to hear of someone that you care about. But the reality of life is that few of us are spared the trials and tribulations so often associated with our existence here on this earth. You just wish it didn’t have to happen to people who spend most of their lives giving to others, unconditionally, in one way or another. I came across this very timely passage…
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11Dec 2012 by CJ

Died within hours of each other – people you can’t live without

Life & Living, Youth
I came across this story while surfing the net the other day. “Long-Married Couple, Melvin and Doris Cornelson, Died Within Hours of Each Other” They enjoyed 62 loving years of marriage. Last week, Kansas couple Melvin and Doris Cornelson died within hours of each other, reports local news station KWCH. Melvin, 85, suffering from cancer, died with his wife by his side.Hours later, Doris, 80, lay down for a nap and never woke up. “They never dated anyone else," the couple's daughter, Candi Sawatzky, told KWCH. "They're happy. I know they are.” I’ve read about stories such as this one before, and each time I’m amazed at news station KWCH. How a heart knows that it simply cannot go on without the love of another is testament that once you…
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06Dec 2012 by CJ

Pull something positive from your mistakes

Life & Living
When life is going your way, you rarely spend any time looking back upon all the mistakes you’ve made with any relevance or importance. But when life is going some other way entirely, mistakes seem to be the only thing you can focus on. The reasoning behind this isn’t rocket science. The old “if I’d only taken the road not traveled…” cliché certainly applies. It’s only logical that we look back at our decisions with regret when they don’t turn out exactly as we planned them. And while I feel as though my life is now “going some other way entirely,” I’ve come to understand…no, accept that mistakes are only a bad thing if you haven’t learned anything from them. While they still can be difficult to digest at times,…
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