28Apr 2014 by CJ

Being someone’s caregiver is one of the greatest honors

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living, Love & Relationships
Being a caregiver is not easy. But it’s truly amazing what you’re capable of when you have no other choice – when reality is staring you in the face and you’re the one people turn to for guidance, support and attention. Tia Walker, author of The Inspired Caregiver: Finding Joy While Caring for Those You Love writes: “To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors.” And while it’s not necessarily an ideal supported by American culture, many understand what a gift it is to give back to those who’ve given so much to us over the years. To accept the “role reversal” that often comes along with being a caregiver not with bitterness, but with tenderness. And while the relationship will certainly change,…
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08Apr 2014 by CJ

Charity is not about what you gain, but what you can give

Generosity & Kindness, Love & Relationships
“When you say "I" and "my" too much, you lose the capacity to understand the "we" and "our".”  Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free I think perhaps the greatest shortfall of mankind is its inability to look beyond themselves with any kind of real charity. So often you hear people saying things like “my” problems and “my” needs as though they were the only people living in society. One’s ego can easily convince us that our lives, our complaints and our problems are unique – that no other human being walking the Earth could possibly understand or relate to what we’re feeling or going through. We then turn that internal understanding into an excuse – “I” am simply too busy to do this or that; you have no…
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19Mar 2014 by CJ

Losing Methodist parishioners is due to not practicing what they preach

Information & Education, Life & Living, Love & Relationships
Many years ago, I used to consider myself a practicing Catholic – regularly attending services and abiding by the rules and restrictions drilled into my head since I was young. But then I became a free-thinking adult. And after watching the poor handling of the sex abuse scandal and their bias towards the homosexual community, I concluded that the Catholic faith was NOT a religion I wanted to be a part of. My wife on the other hand is a loyal and faithful Methodist. She still attends the same church she was christened in almost 40 years ago, the same church her family has attended for generations. Looking for a little spiritual guidance, I began going with her and was surprised how different this religion truly was. Honesty, humility and…
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17Feb 2014 by CJ

We all deserve to speak highly of ourselves

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
If somebody said to you… “Look how fat you are.” “You haven’t a thing to offer a new employer.” “You’re so dumb you’ll probably say the wrong thing.” You’d be highly insulted – and rightfully so. You might point out their rude behavior – maybe even say how inappropriate their comments were. At the very least, you’d expect an apology for these actions, right? But what if it’s not another person saying those things…what if it’s YOU! Far too often that’s exactly how we talk to ourselves. Some call this “negative self-talk” - and I’m just as guilty as anyone. This inner critic isn’t something we’re born with - it’s developed from our day to day environments. Maybe it’s the sting from the bully on the playground, a domineering relationship…
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10Feb 2014 by CJ

Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be celebrated only once a year

Love & Relationships
Today I made plans for my wife and I to see a dear friend of ours this coming Friday. She reminded me it was “v-day” as she put in her text, and admittedly at first I had no idea what she was talking about. V-day could mean the global movement to end violence against women, or the political campaign organized by Beppe Grillo in Italy years ago. But the “v-day” she was referring to was Valentine’s Day – the supposed day of love. Anyone who knows me is well aware that my wife and I do not celebrate Valentine’s Day. While many will spend far too much money trying to convince their significant other how their love can be measure in overpriced dinners, flowers and gifts, we refuse to adopt…
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