Category: Love & Relationships

A Giving Tree is a popular charitable initiative during the holiday season. For those unaware of the concept, a Giving Tree is essentially a Christmas tree decorated with gift tags dangling from branches by festive colored ribbon. These tags are not blank however, for they have a very important job - carrying the holiday wishes of children and teenagers with limited resources. They’re typically found in shopping malls, religious institutions, schools, hospitals, and most recently, virtually online in order to reach as many charitable givers as possible. During this celebrated time of year, children of all ages are anxiously compiling their Christmas lists and sending them to the North Pole (or to Santa’s helpers, also known as “parents”). Like the Giving Tree, these lists are comprised of wishes, but that’s…

“A simple fact that is hard to learn is that the time to save money is when you have some.” - Joe Moore Of late, I’ve become a bit miserly with my finances, even a little obsessed with how to save money wherever and whenever possible. A little history. Before meeting my wife, saving money was rarely a priority. I was a member of the “I want everything now” generation - convincing myself that I worked hard and “deserved” to treat myself whenever possible. A recipe which often leads to financial irresponsibility. But age and maturity have changed the way I look at money. It’s no longer about instant gratification but what Moore states above - “the time to save money is when you have some”. Here are two recent…

While human beings might be the more intelligent, more refined species, time and time again I see invaluable lessons to learn from our four-legged friend, the dog – especially concerning the people you love. Apparently, I’m not alone, as I recently started reading a book entitled, Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog. From Amazon, “In this “little gem” (Washington Independent Review of Books), Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist and New York Times bestselling author Dave Barry learns how to age happily from his old but joyful dog, Lucy.” At first you might be thinking, what could humans possibly learn from a dog? But I assure you, Dave’s lessons are anything but inconsequential. They are truly profound and remind you that sometimes the greatest lessons about life and love often come from…

“No one is too busy in this world. We all have the same 24 hours. It’s all about priorities.” – Anonymous I discovered this quote while scrolling through Facebook – posted by a family member I haven’t seen or spoken to in many, many years. As someone who always appreciates an insightful quote, no matter how simplistic in its implementation, I agree with this author’s sentiment about setting priorities in life. I myself even blogged about the subject a few years ago in a post entitled, Thanksgiving to-do-lists – who’s important on yours? But as I get older, I struggle with the ability to understand how often we fail to practice what we consistently preach out in the world – particularly on social media. For over 35 years, I was…