Craig Ruvere

27May 2014 by CJ

Stop worrying about what you don’t have – be thankful for what you do

Something to think about... Did you ever stop and ask yourself what truly makes up a life? Love, laughter, sorrow, joy – all come together to form the basis of our existence. Beyond the life experiences that occur without fail, we all have dreams, aspirations, hopes for the future. But as the old John Lennon song states “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Life is rarely easy and few things ever work out as planned. There’s a world going on around us, a world filled with people and luxuries we should be thanking God above for brining into our lives each and every day. But we need to stop wasting all this time focused on the things we don’t have and realize just how much we do. So…

21May 2014 by CJ

YOU have to make the decision to move on

Life & Living

Regardless of one’s good intentions - void of malice or spite - things don’t usually work out as we’d like them to. It’s funny, no matter how much you try to convince yourself of the possibility for a positive outcome, there’s always that little part of your brain that knows your expectations are highly unrealistic. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s to be hopeful for the future, because sometimes life does in fact surprise you. Unfortunately, this post is not being written about one of those occasions. Jodi Picoult, author of Salem Falls writes: “Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall.” Writing this blog, I’m well aware of how…

15May 2014 by CJ

My wedding anniversary celebrates the ultimate gift

Love & Relationships

“Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery On May 20th, 2014 my wife and I will celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. As cliché as it sounds, it really does seem like yesterday since we walked down the aisle as man and wife in a beautiful and memorable garden ceremony. A lot has changed in 13 years. So many cherished family members and friends, who were only too happy to attend our nuptials, have passed on from this life. I can still remember many of them dressed-up in their Sunday best – dancing, laughing and sharing in our special day. But one thing hasn’t changed and that’s the commitment we made to each other over a decade ago.…

12May 2014 by CJ

Let the emotions that break us, heal us.

Love & Relationships

This weekend I did something people rarely do anymore – I wrote a letter. Armed with a blue pen, pad of yellow-ruled note paper and the handwriting skills I learned back in 2nd grade, I was all set to begin this old school approach to communicating. At first I considered an email or a phone call, but felt a handwritten letter provided the more personal touch I was hoping for in this delicate matter. It was a letter to my parents, whom I haven’t spoken to in five years. A little history. I grew up in what I always perceived to be a very close family unit – never dreaming that one day my relationship with them would become difficult to maintain as a free-thinking adult. Growing up I had…

08May 2014 by CJ

Masculinity should be defined by MORE than just strength

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth

Our society has long proclaimed what they believe comprises the measure of a man – courage and bravery; dominance and power; unfeeling and cold. These distinctions are nothing new however. From the dawn of the caveman to the ancient Romans to those roaming the earth this very day, men have continuously defined themselves by their strength, NOT their emotions. We see sensitivity and emotional expression as a flaw in the armor that protects the reputation of masculinity – often questioning any man who dances to the beat of a much different drum. I’ve personally spent years battling this stigma – always more in tune with my emotional side, rather than caring to support the antiquated beliefs of my gender. I’ve come to understand that the measure of one’s manhood goes…