Craig Ruvere

06Jun 2016 by CJ

Compassionate people will learn a lesson

“Although the days are busy and the workload is always growing, there are still those special moments when someone says or does something and you know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life.” - Diane McKenty, Nurse and Caregiver When a loved one is diagnosed with a debilitating and heart wrenching illness, we all process the reality differently. For some there’s incredible anger, while others go through long periods of denial. But eventually, your heart opens wide with immense compassion and unconditional love, when it becomes apparent that our time here on this earth is not infinite. Oftentimes when illness strikes, compassionate individuals will immerse themselves in information and education surrounding the situation. I suspect this is done in an effort to provide empathy towards our loved ones - so…

02Jun 2016 by CJ

Appreciating what we take for granted

Generosity & Kindness

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” - Thornton Wilder I recently vacationed to a tropical resort, where the only thing my wife and I did was relax, refocus and enjoy each other’s company – and the beautiful 85-degree temperatures. At the end of a busy day lounging around in the sun or cooling off in the pool, we often sat on our fourth floor balcony until it was time to go down for dinner. One particular evening, I found myself entranced by the goings-on happening below me. There were staff members rearranging lounge chairs and collecting towels, outdoor restaurants setting up tables and preparing for the evening rush and guests still trying to enjoy the last little bit…

17May 2016 by CJ

Complain if you must, but it won’t change anything

Life & Living

“What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.” – Maya Angelou The definition of complain is to “express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event”. In my 41 years here on this planet, I don’t think I’ve yet met a person who didn’t know what it means to “complain” or how to do it. I truly believe it’s human nature to rant and rave about something which displeases us, and admittedly at times it shows how passionate we are towards the inequities of the world. But if all we do is complain, without ever trying to change anything, where’s the benefit to humanity or to ourselves? Eckhart…

16May 2016 by CJ

Slow down and enjoy the moments of life

Life & Living

Today is May 16th and this is the first post I’ve written since April 27th. It’s not that I haven’t thought about writing something new, or reposting something still relevant – I just haven’t had the motivation or inspiration to do so of late. Whenever I find myself in this position, I’m quick to pass judgement on myself. Feeling like a failure, I typically head to the computer and force myself to write something, which ultimately turns out to be nothing after an hour of writing and re-writing one paragraph. But this time it was different. This time I found myself saying “it’s okay – you write when you can.” I guess that’s the difference between a hobby and a job – a hobby is always there for you whenever…

27Apr 2016 by CJ

Reflect – what will you be remembered for?

Life & Living, Love & Relationships

This blog is for all those self-serving individuals of the world, who more than likely will have no idea this blog is all about them. Which is somewhat ironic given the fact that they think EVERYTHING is about them. I’m sure there are already people reading this saying, “he’s talking about people like my…(you fill in the blank)”. And that may be true. But I’m talking about you really…the ones who are so quick to pass judgement on others and rarely, if ever, take a long look in the mirror. This post all started after I came across this truly humbling quote by Dan Pearce in his book Single Dad Laughing. “The next time you want to withhold your help, or your love, or your support for another for whatever…