07Jul 2014 by CJ

Our hopes and dreams for tomorrow have no expiration date

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living, Youth
As a little kid I liked to dream—big, whether it was believing my red-Huffy bicycle would one day turn into a Transformer or convincing myself that as an adult I’d be spending much of my time in Hollywood hosting “The Price is Right.” As I said, I liked to dream big. I still do sometimes. If we think back to our childhood, we all can remember when our dreams didn’t seem that far away from us. I remember spending countless hours in my basement pretending I was a rock star on my make believe stage. There I’d be holding my microphone (nothing more than the cardboard tube from the paper towel roll) belting out song after song from a collection of 45’s. Truthfully, I never really did sing as much…
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10Jun 2014 by CJ

Believing our struggles are worse than everyone else’s

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
Morning commutes are often long and tedious – a direct result of overpopulation and continual construction projects being undertaken on our heavily traveled roadways. One Friday morning I was running incredibly late, and as you might expect in this situation, highway traffic was at a standstill. My patience was already wearing incredibly thin and it wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning! To help maintain some sanity, I decided to exit the highway and navigate through back roads and side streets in the hopes of avoiding any more congestion. Within minutes, I was relieved to again see the needle on my speedometer approaching 35 miles per hour. But it didn’t take long for my morning commute to again come to a screeching halt. This time I found myself stuck behind…
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05Jun 2014 by CJ

Respect is a two way street

Life & Living, Youth
Fred Rogers once said, “All we’re ever asked to do in this life is to treat our neighbor exactly as we would hope to be treated ourselves. That’s our ultimate responsibility.” Interesting how Rogers thinks it’s the human race’s “responsibility” to be kind to others. While I have a great deal of admiration for the man, I have a feeling many find being mindful and respectful of others more of a chore than a responsibility. Today you’d be hard pressed to identify those willing to buy into Rogers’s notion that it’s “our ultimate responsibility” to do unto others. The statement however does bring to mind a virtue that lately has vanished quicker than your average pop princess – the art of respect. Respect is about understanding and accepting the differences…
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03Jun 2014 by CJ

Learning a history lesson – your own

Life & Living, Youth
Many of us aren’t all that interested in hearing stories of the past recanted by our relatives. But for me, I always enjoy hearing how life was drastically different so many years ago. And while progress has certainly made our lives easier and medical advances have allowed us to live longer, I’m still not convinced that our lives are better all around. My grandmother often told me the following story, which became known as “the food on a rope story”. My grandmother came from a family of nine brothers and sisters. Her mother stayed home to raise the children in their modest North Bergen, NJ apartment, while her father earned a living as a furniture refinisher. Money was always tight for this large family, as were the sleeping quarters –…
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30May 2014 by CJ

Everyone deserves to hear the words “thank you”

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
My wife is one of the eternal givers of this world. Be it personally or professionally, she possesses an admirable compassion – always giving much more than any one situation might require. Having known her for some 15 years now, I can tell you with great certainty that she is the epitome of humility – more concerned with offering support and care, than obtaining praise for her actions. I consider myself truly blessed that I get to wake up each day and share my life with such an amazing individual. But regardless of her humble nature, I believe she deserves to hear those few little words every now and then – “thank you”. It’s so easy to take people for granted – to assume that someone’s actions are simply expected…
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