31Mar 2011 by CJ

Funerals should not be convenient for the mourner

Love & Relationships
Funerals being broadcast on the web? Are you kidding me? Sounds bizarre, I know, but apparently it’s becoming the latest craze among funeral homes across the country for mourners who simply can’t make the effort to appear in person. Truthfully, I’ve always been a little skeptical about funerals anyway. I mean, if you couldn’t make the effort to spend quality time with me while I'm alive, why the hell do I care if you come to see me when I’m dead? It seems to me the whole idea is more about alleviating a person’s guilt rather than mourning the person lying in an overpriced casket. Now I understand that people today live all over the country – all over the world in fact. If you really care enough about a…
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17Mar 2011 by CJ

The Bachelor is less about the reality of love and more about ratings

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
I never thought I'd tune in to "The Bachelor". Boy was I wrong. On my weekly outings to see my grandmother, part of the evening is inevitably spent watching something on television (or the boob tube as she commonly refers to it). Most of the time we’re tuned in to the popular game show “Wheel of Fortune” – where grams always comments on Vanna’s wardrobe and how she’d love to have her job. I don’t mind the show really – remembering how often I used to watch it as a kid during summer vacation. But the other night she caught me by surprise when she asked if we could watch the season finale of “The Bachelor”. I wasn’t about to say no to a 90-year-old woman, even though I wanted…
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17Feb 2011 by CJ

Making a home for yourself has more to do with memories

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
Today, so many of us define ourselves by our careers, our possessions and even our homes. But what if “home” was never a place at all? I found these inspiring words by author Tad Williams. “Never make your home in a place.  Make a home for yourself inside your own head.  You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things.  That way it will go with you wherever you journey.” I take solace in his words when thinking about the “homes” of my past, which I still see vividly if I close my eyes. People and places which are no longer a part of my everyday existence are still alive and well in my heart – always. I…
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11Feb 2011 by CJ

Valentine’s Day should be 365 days a year not just one

Love & Relationships
This Monday is Valentine’s Day - the supposed day of love according to the greeting card companies. It’s a time of year when ordinary husbands and wives pay as much as a 75% premium for such items as flowers, candy, jewelry and dining, and those who’ve lost or never found their true loves lament. Years ago, when I was first married, I used to feel the pressures of society when it came to this over commercialized holiday – buying into the hype even though I didn’t fully support its premise. I remember someone once said to me, “Don’t you love your wife? You have to get her something for Valentine’s Day!”  As I’m learning, people really have no concept of the word “boundaries”. It’s a pretty sad day when the…
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10Feb 2011 by CJ

Date night can be a costly proposition in society today

Love & Relationships
Once you’ve been married for several years and things start becoming somewhat ordinary from day to day, a new phrase becomes part of your vernacular whenever you find yourself going out to eat or doing anything you used to do before you got hitched – date night. Such was the case one Friday evening when my wife and I decided to go out to dinner and a movie – uncharacteristic for us at the close of a busy work week. We started with dinner at a local chain restaurant, which thanks to a $25 gift certificate, only wound up costing us $15 out of pocket. Not too shabby. The movie was even better as I still had two free passes saved up from a few Christmas’ ago. All in all…
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