28Jan 2016 by CJ

A true connection is seen, heard, valued

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
“Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” - Brene Brown Seen…heard…valued. In my mind they are three incredibly powerful words which are the very foundation of all great and long-lasting relationships. That connection, that energy that two people can share is not something that comes along every day. In fact, I often wonder if there’s a possibility of one day it becoming completely extinct. I learned a long time ago that relationships (be them plutonic or intimate) require a great deal of effort in order to succeed. They need attention and care in order to develop and flourish into an invaluable resource for the…
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26Jan 2016 by CJ

Forgiveness is something you do for yourself

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
“Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering – remembering and not using your right to hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is particularly important. Especially if you don’t want to repeat what happened.” – Desmond Tutu Several years ago, while settling in to listen to a respected pastor give his Sunday morning sermon, I never imagined how it would help me understand a word so fundamentally basic. Forgiveness. As young children we’re taught that if we do something wrong we should immediately apologize, and in turn the person we’ve wronged will forgive us. While it sounds like an easy enough concept in theory, as we grow into adults we quickly learn that the act of forgiving charters a more complicated path. For…
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07Jan 2016 by CJ

Renew yourself – it’s not just about you

Love & Relationships
“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves so that we don’t become stick-in-the-muds” – Goethe It’s already January 9th, 2016. The new year is a little over a week old now – I wonder how many people have already broken their new year’s resolutions? Before the ball dropped in Time Square, my inbox was already littered with countless articles trying to persuade and guide me into making this or that resolution in the coming year. Needless to say, I deleted them all before ever reading them. Why you might ask? While I’m sure the writers had some interesting things to say, I don’t believe in making resolutions every 1st day in January.  But you certainly can’t ignore the start of a new calendar year. So on that 1st day of…
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29Dec 2015 by CJ

The sick and aging deserve to be remembered

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
The other day I was flipping through a photo album – a window into a world when my grandparents were young and vibrant. Their smiles for the camera were true ​and honest​ - something I can still remember with such clarity, though I haven’t seen their faces for many years now. A thought popped into my head while thumbing through one page, one photograph after another. While age is a sign that you’ve had a long life, it also means that once you’ve become a pale representation of your former self, many will inevitably forget you. Humanity has a difficult time dealing with those we love when they’re nearing the end of their life – when age has made them withered, frail and feeble. I suppose it’s a defense mechanism…
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18Dec 2015 by CJ

Gifts from the heart are all you’ll remember

Love & Relationships
“To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year.” Elwyn Brooks White With Christmas only 6 days away, I find myself growing nostalgic for the holidays of my past and those individuals who helped comprise the celebration. I know I’m not alone in this feeling, as December 25th seems to be the one time of year when we all mourn the loss of relationships, which are no longer a part of our daily lives. This will be my second Christmas here in Colorado, after spending 38 years in a small New Jersey town I, and countless family members, were raised in. It’s been an adjustment to say the least. Forming new relationships is never easy, more importantly finding individuals with whom you connect with wholeheartedly and unconditionally…
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