Old photographs are a treasure chest of memories

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
I’m sure we all have them – photographs of ourselves taken by semi-professional photographers chronicling our outward progression in life. For most of us they were taken in school, or at the local Sears store - posed perfectly for grandparents everywhere to proudly display in ornate frames around their house. In my basement lives an old shoebox my mother bestowed upon me. Inside are years of such photographs - haphazardly arranged with no real order. Looking at them now is laughable from the fashions I wore, my bowl haircut or those awkward pubescent years I wish I could forget. But beyond all the poses lives something I consider infinitely more important. Real-life, casual pictures capturing moments we oftentimes forget. They’re snapshots of reality – holidays and birthdays, fun times swimming…
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Let go of the past – it’s merely something that happened

Life & Living, Youth
Some nights it can be difficult to quiet the mind. To silence a host of random thoughts, which prevent us from enjoying a night of uninterrupted sleep. Such was the case last night. After doing a little reading, my eyes grew heavy and I hoped I’d soon be drifting off to sleep and staying that way until the alarm went off the next morning. But after about an hour or so I found myself restless – lost in a never-ending stream of subconscious thoughts about the past. Some were memorable - others were not. The majority seemed to hover in a grey area of neutrality. All in all I was unable to clear my mind of the constant distractions swirling around inside my head. When I did finally fall asleep…
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Growing old – never forget your life was filled with greatness

Life & Living, Youth
Did you ever pass by an old, abandoned building and wonder to yourself, how did it start out life? At the time of completion the building may have been considered state of the art - on the cutting edge of technology - only now it’s nothing more than a piece of history that’s been plagued by vandalism and reduced to rubble. The same could be said for that 57 Chevy rusting and rotting away in an overcrowded junkyard. Certainly a pale comparison to the years when muscle cars were all the rage and drive-in movies were a common form of entertainment on Friday nights. But there must have been a time when these relics once possessed beauty and commanded respect from those that found purpose in their creation. But as…
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Party for boy with autism – no one shows

Life & Living, Youth
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln There’s nothing more magical, more exciting in a young child’s life than birthdays. It’s that one time of year when you’re the star of the day. The one time of year when you’re guaranteed a fun-filled celebration in your honor! It’s a day filled with balloons and decorations; snack foods and a cake filled with candles; family and friends singing that familiar tune, and oh yes – presents! But sadly not everyone is guaranteed such an honorary celebration. The other day I came across this story entitled, “Sheriffs Deputies Save Birthday Party For Boy With Autism After None Of His Friends Show Up.”  On the morning adorable little Glenn…
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How a little boy reminded me that I have all that I need

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
Last night, after my two-year-old nephew headed off to bed, I heard him calling from upstairs, “Crait!” You might be asking what “Crait” means. As he continues to learn pronunciation and language skills, he’s having a little trouble with the letter “G”. Therefore “Crait” means “Craig”. I don’t mind really, though sometimes I don’t realize he’s calling me – such was the case last night. His mother yelled down, “He wants you to read him a book.” So I asked the adorable little boy, standing at the top of the stairs in his striped blue PJ’s, did he want me to read to him?  He quickly replied, “Yeah!” How could I say no. Every night before he goes to sleep, his mom and dad read to him. It’s so great…
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