19Apr 2018 by CJ
I miss you – a reminder that you love someone

I miss you – a reminder that you love someone

Love & Relationships
“I miss you. Not in some cheesy “Let’s hold hands and be together forever kind of way”. I just miss you, plain and simple. I miss your presence in my life. I miss you always being there for me. I miss you best friend.” – Anonymous My current job requires me to travel throughout the country about 15% of the time. While the experience has certainly made me a savvy traveler, it’s been an adjustment leaving my home for any length of time. More importantly my wife, whose smile, embrace and laughter continues to warm my heart and soul. We’ve been married almost 17 years now and after all that time I still find myself calling or texting “I miss you” throughout the day whenever I’m traveling. The distance often…
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18Apr 2018 by CJ
Birthday reflections should be about counting your blessings

Birthday reflections should be about counting your blessings

Love & Relationships
“A birthday is a time to reflect on the year gone by, but to also set your goals for the upcoming year.” ­– Catherine Pulsifer April 18th. Forty-three years ago, I entered the world in a hospital in Passaic, New Jersey at around 12:06 PM – just in time for lunch! Forty-three years. I thought my fortieth birthday was hard to swallow. While I realize only three years have passed since, the shock of that number has been lingering on my mind over the last few days. As Pulsifer says, birthday reflections are common. As a young boy, I used to wonder why people would say that. I mean, weren’t birthdays for balloons, presents, cake and claiming one day out of the year solely as your own? But I get…
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09Apr 2018 by CJ
Someone you love dying provides something to learn

Someone you love dying provides something to learn

Love & Relationships
“How can you learn nothing from someone you love dying? Doesn’t that speak to just how little you thought of them when they were alive?” – Unknown I was there when my grandfather passed away eleven years ago in a hospice facility in New Jersey. I was in my early 30’s and his presence in my life was familiar and always expected. But as I was reminded that day, nothing lasts forever. For me, watching someone you love dying was a truly peaceful and cathartic experience, though I understand it’s not always so for everyone experiencing death for the first time. Though he lived a long and prosperous life, his passing still affected me deeply – providing me with some much-needed perspective on love, life and everything in between. Seeing…
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15Feb 2018 by CJ

A contribution is about more than just being a doer

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
“Great ambition and conquest without contribution is without significance. What will your contribution be? How will history remember you?”  - William Hundert It’s been almost four years since my wife and I moved to Colorado from New Jersey. While we both were fortunate to secure jobs early on, I’m not sure they were truly “careers” for either one of us. Eventually, we found ourselves asking the question, what is my contribution? Three years into her career, my wife was blessed to find a new position with ideal circumstances to suit her. But as my organization continued to evolve, I found myself growing frustrated over the reality that I had become a “doer” not a “contributor”. David Lagercrantz once wrote, “You either have a useful contribution to make or you don’t,…
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14Jan 2018 by CJ

The connection two people share is everything

Love & Relationships
“Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued; when they can give and receive without judgement; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” – Brene Brown The people we choose to surround ourselves with, the relationships we tend to foster, often reflect our own personal beliefs and values. The connection two people share is bred from commonalities – interests, religion, background, morals and the list goes on and on. Regardless of the relationship – romantic or platonic – that connection is often an indicator to the longevity of the pairing. However, if the connection is bred out of falsehoods, created in order to unfairly secure the attention of another, one will rarely derive sustenance and strength from the relationship. Loneliness…
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