06Oct 2016 by CJ

Negativity should not be the norm in life

Generosity & Kindness
I came across this story about negativity the other day and wanted to share it. One day a school teacher wrote the following on a chalkboard. 9x1=7 9x2=18 9x3=27 9x4=36 9x5=45 9x6=54 When he finished, he looked at his class and they began to laugh. When he asked them why, one student pointed out that the first equation he had written was wrong. The teacher responded by saying, “I wrote the first one wrong on purpose to show you something very important. This is how the world will treat you. You can see that I wrote five other RIGHT answers, but none of you gave me any recognition for that. You all laughed and criticized me for the one wrong thing that I did. The world will not always appreciate…
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02Oct 2016 by CJ

Jacob Hall taught us lessons even at a young age

Youth
When I was 6-years-old – a kindergarten student at Roosevelt Elementary School – the year was 1981. At that age, I still considered school a fun place – filled with discovery, imagination and hope for the future. It was a place in which I felt “safe” – protected both emotionally and physically by a staff who genuinely cared for each and every one of us. Whether in the confines of our classroom or the grassy fields of our playground, I never found myself worrying about the dangers, which no doubt were in existence even back then. I’m sure Jacob Hall was no different. Hall was the South Carolina boy who sadly passed away on Saturday after complications from being shot on his elementary school playground earlier in the week. His…
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19Sep 2016 by CJ

Piece by Piece – moving on from abandonment

Love & Relationships, Youth
When I first heard Kelly Clarkson’s song Piece by Piece, I found myself listening to it over and over again. I rarely define a style of music I listen to, mainly because I’m often attracted to amazing lyrics more than anything else. And Clarkson’s song certainly delivers. Here’s how her musical journey begins: And all I remember is your back Walking towards the airport, leaving us all in your past I traveled fifteen hundred miles to see you Begged you to want me, but you didn’t want to It’s the real-life story of Clarkson’s absentee father, and how her husband eventually was able to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and reaffirm there are still men out there who know how to be caring; know how to be…
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14Sep 2016 by CJ

Nelly – why should your fans have to pay your taxes?

Life & Living
An important news bulletin. It appears that rapper Nelly (singer of the 2002 hit "Hot in Herre") has been a bad boy and now is in trouble with the government for not paying his taxes. But fear not! His adoring fans are coming to his rescue. They’ve started a social media campaign urging everyone to stream his song on Spotify – the more the song is streamed, the more money Nelly will make to bail himself out of debt. Are you serious? I can’t tell you how infuriated this makes me, especially given the fact that so many misguided individuals are championing this cause to help out the popular rapper. I’m reminded of a quote by Criss Jami: “Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When…
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12Sep 2016 by CJ

Suicide – a decision you cannot change

Life & Living
“Only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.” – Richard M. Nixon Last week a 16-year-old girl committed suicide at the school where my wife teaches. It was a complete and horrifying shock to her friends, who had no idea she was contemplating it, nor did they know of any apparent reason . It was a complete shock to the faculty and staff, who just the day before were talking with her in the hallway – never once noticing anything peculiar or alarming. And truly, it was a complete shock to me. While I’ve experienced depression and days of darkness when I just wasn’t sure I had the strength to go on, I never felt…
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