01Apr 2013 by CJ

Life’s journey is a never ending classroom

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
The other day I came across this quote by Charlotte Joko Beck, which really made me think. “Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment. This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every breath. Every moment is the guru.” Interesting, right? “The teacher we need at every moment” - I don’t think I’ve ever thought about the journey of life in that way before, but looking back it makes total sense. I’ve learned invaluable lessons through the challenges life’s handed me over the years. And while they certainly were stressful and difficult to navigate at the time, I emerged with…
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27Mar 2013 by CJ

The Ban on Gay Marriage – what are we all so afraid of?

Love & Relationships
In author Kent Nerburn’s book “Simple Truths”, he sums up his chapter on marriage with the following sentiment: “If you believe in your heart that you have found someone with whom you are able to grow, if you have sufficient faith that you can resist the endless attraction of the road not taken and the partner not chosen, if you have the strength to embrace the cycles and seasons that your love will experience, then you may be ready to seek the miracle that marriage offers.” Speaking from over a decade of marital experience, I consider myself fortunate to have found someone who’s allowed me to seek the miracle of marriage and embrace it wholeheartedly. But as both she and I will tell you with great certainty, gender has no…
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26Mar 2013 by CJ

Don’t convince someone WHO you are – let them experience it

Life & Living
I used to believe that being an “overzealous” person could never be a bad thing when you’re trying to prove your worthiness at a job or in a relationship. And while a certain amount of enthusiasm does go a long way to showing your motivation and devotion, it can also be misconstrued as ego. Simply put, sometimes people need to find things out for themselves, rather than you trying to prove yourself in every imaginable capacity - all in an attempt to show them the person you are rather than letting them experience for themselves. New situations are never easy to adjust to, and many times we often put far too much effort into trying to talk ourselves up instead of just being ourselves. Winnie the Pooh once said that…
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24Mar 2013 by CJ

Beauty comes in all sizes

Life & Living, Youth
For those of you who don’t know, classic soap operas “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” are being revived online starting April 29th. Both of the sudsy dramas were cancelled several years ago – at the chagrin of my wife who had been a lone-time fan of AMC (as she commonly refers to it). But as videos and photos began appearing in an effort to promote the new productions, my wife noticed something almost immediately. Many familiar faces were gone and in their place were a crop of young actors and actresses who look as though they just stepped out of the gym or a fashion show runway. It’s obvious the shows are trying to go after the younger generation in order to make these new offerings popular…
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20Mar 2013 by CJ

Being loved for ourselves

Love & Relationships
There’s no disputing that intimate relationships can be challenging at times. But coming together with another human being can often breed immeasurable joy, through the embracing and understanding of each other’s uniqueness. You don’t necessarily rely on the other person to bring you happiness, it just seems to come naturally – flowing through your days like a stream through a meadow. Terri Guillemets once said that “Love is when you can be your true self with someone, and you only want to be your true self because of them.” What a simply beautiful sentiment. But as I’ve discovered over the years, you cannot fully love someone else until you’re prepared to say that you love and accept yourself just as you are. Relationships are about patterns really. Regardless of who…
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