25Jun 2013 by CJ

What you say reflects the person you are

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
Teenagers from every generation tend to have their own unique “slang” growing up – leaving adults in bewilderment as they struggle to figure out what they’re trying to say. But I’ve noticed something interesting about the current generation of young people, and even adults trying to recapture their youth by staying on the cusp of popular trends. The world of text messaging has created a new language of abbreviations across the digital superhighway - BFF and OMG being some of the more popular ones. But now there are thousands more – even websites dedicated to deciphering this new language for those of us who were once stumped by the abbreviation TTYL (talk to you later). But it’s a little frightening when people start to use these abbreviations in more than…
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24Jun 2013 by CJ

There’s nothing wrong with asking for help

Life & Living
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Fred Rogers Years ago I was the kind of person who’s pride and insecurities prevented me from asking for help from others – emotionally, physically or environmentally. Maintaining this kind of unhealthy behavior allowed me to continually and regularly throw “pity parties” for myself, saying things like, “nobody has any idea what I’m going through.” What I’ve come to realize over the last few years, and through this blog, is that our problems are not isolated – that people all over the world are plagued with many of the same issues we are, and are probably saying the…
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21Jun 2013 by CJ

Recognizing and appreciating what we have

Generosity & Kindness
Today was my grandmother’s funeral. As you can imagine it was a difficult time for me. Beyond simply dealing with the loss, I also had estranged family members to contend with. I’m happy to say that I truly surprised myself by remaining calm and collected – remembering that I was there for my grams, not for anyone else. While sitting at the church lost in my thoughts of her, instead of listening to the homily, I discovered something. It’s not the noteworthy things we do for others that truly matter as we journey through life. No, it’s all the little things and ordinary days together that we remember when they’re gone. Some might consider me unexciting, maybe even boring that I enjoy just spending time with people regardless of the…
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19Jun 2013 by CJ

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love

Love & Relationships, Youth
On June 18, 2013 my beloved grandmother, Madeline Ruvere, peacefully passed away at the age of 92. [caption id="attachment_75" align="alignright" width="296"] A beautiful picture of grams with my great-grandfather.[/caption] Though her health was in continual decline over the last few months, it might sound strange but her passing was still a surprise. I realize it was probably expected given her age, but when you lose someone who once occupied a huge part of your living, laughing and loving, I assure you the loss is still profound regardless of how old you are. Over the last few days my memories of her have been very strong. Beyond the love and support she always provided me, I think the greatest gift she left me was a treasure chest of memories I can…
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16Jun 2013 by CJ

Sharing life with someone special makes the journey easier

Love & Relationships
“Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else.” Fred Rogers Life is nothing more than a journey – a series of highways and byways filled with unexpected turns and roadblocks, which can oftentimes seem insurmountable. The pathways between our personal and professional lives; the joys and the sorrows often intersect in ways we never imagined possible and repeatedly complicate our ability to navigate and stay the course to utter happiness. But our journey through this chaotic and many times complicated existence becomes considerably more tolerable when not taken alone. To have someone to lean on for support and guidance when the terrain seems impassable is truly a blessing - especially when those individuals provide us with unconditional affection and appreciation and…
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