09Jun 2014 by CJ

Giving love and attention to your family is an invaluable gift

Love & Relationships
The following piece was published some four years ago now, but of late I find myself frequently taking a trip down memory lane and thought I’d share it with all of your again. Enjoy! Many of us assign sentimental value to inanimate objects as a pleasant way of remembering the people and places of our past. They evoke more joyous times – which our hearts and minds often begrudgingly forget while living life and dealing with its realities. And while I myself have such souvenirs, to me nothing is as precious as a photograph – a moment in time forever immortalized for our viewing pleasure. I enjoy looking at old pictures - especially black and white images of family members I’ve never had the opportunity to know beyond stories passed…
Read More
06Jun 2014 by CJ

It’s not always the place that matters, but the person you’re with

Love & Relationships
As some of you might already be aware, after 39 years of living in the Garden State – New Jersey for those unfamiliar with the designation – my wife and I have decided to move west and begin a new chapter in our lives with family in Colorado. It’s been in the works for a while now, but still seemed surreal until the other day when I looked at the actual calendar. Our official move date is June 24th – 18 short days from now. Are we scared and anxious? Oh yeah! Are we hopeful and excited for the future? Absolutely! As our time here in New Jersey winds down, we’ve been crossing off things on our bucket list, which includes scenic and iconic destinations, as well as restaurants we’ve…
Read More
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…
Read More
15May 2014 by CJ

My wedding anniversary celebrates the ultimate gift

Love & Relationships
“Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery On May 20th, 2014 my wife and I will celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. As cliché as it sounds, it really does seem like yesterday since we walked down the aisle as man and wife in a beautiful and memorable garden ceremony. A lot has changed in 13 years. So many cherished family members and friends, who were only too happy to attend our nuptials, have passed on from this life. I can still remember many of them dressed-up in their Sunday best – dancing, laughing and sharing in our special day. But one thing hasn’t changed and that’s the commitment we made to each other over a decade ago.…
Read More
12May 2014 by CJ

Let the emotions that break us, heal us.

Love & Relationships
This weekend I did something people rarely do anymore – I wrote a letter. Armed with a blue pen, pad of yellow-ruled note paper and the handwriting skills I learned back in 2nd grade, I was all set to begin this old school approach to communicating. At first I considered an email or a phone call, but felt a handwritten letter provided the more personal touch I was hoping for in this delicate matter. It was a letter to my parents, whom I haven’t spoken to in five years. A little history. I grew up in what I always perceived to be a very close family unit – never dreaming that one day my relationship with them would become difficult to maintain as a free-thinking adult. Growing up I had…
Read More