10Jun 2014 by CJ

Believing our struggles are worse than everyone else’s

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
Morning commutes are often long and tedious – a direct result of overpopulation and continual construction projects being undertaken on our heavily traveled roadways. One Friday morning I was running incredibly late, and as you might expect in this situation, highway traffic was at a standstill. My patience was already wearing incredibly thin and it wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning! To help maintain some sanity, I decided to exit the highway and navigate through back roads and side streets in the hopes of avoiding any more congestion. Within minutes, I was relieved to again see the needle on my speedometer approaching 35 miles per hour. But it didn’t take long for my morning commute to again come to a screeching halt. This time I found myself stuck behind…
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09Jun 2014 by CJ

Giving love and attention to your family is an invaluable gift

Love & Relationships
The following piece was published some four years ago now, but of late I find myself frequently taking a trip down memory lane and thought I’d share it with all of your again. Enjoy! Many of us assign sentimental value to inanimate objects as a pleasant way of remembering the people and places of our past. They evoke more joyous times – which our hearts and minds often begrudgingly forget while living life and dealing with its realities. And while I myself have such souvenirs, to me nothing is as precious as a photograph – a moment in time forever immortalized for our viewing pleasure. I enjoy looking at old pictures - especially black and white images of family members I’ve never had the opportunity to know beyond stories passed…
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06Jun 2014 by CJ

It’s not always the place that matters, but the person you’re with

Love & Relationships
As some of you might already be aware, after 39 years of living in the Garden State – New Jersey for those unfamiliar with the designation – my wife and I have decided to move west and begin a new chapter in our lives with family in Colorado. It’s been in the works for a while now, but still seemed surreal until the other day when I looked at the actual calendar. Our official move date is June 24th – 18 short days from now. Are we scared and anxious? Oh yeah! Are we hopeful and excited for the future? Absolutely! As our time here in New Jersey winds down, we’ve been crossing off things on our bucket list, which includes scenic and iconic destinations, as well as restaurants we’ve…
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05Jun 2014 by CJ

Respect is a two way street

Life & Living, Youth
Fred Rogers once said, “All we’re ever asked to do in this life is to treat our neighbor exactly as we would hope to be treated ourselves. That’s our ultimate responsibility.” Interesting how Rogers thinks it’s the human race’s “responsibility” to be kind to others. While I have a great deal of admiration for the man, I have a feeling many find being mindful and respectful of others more of a chore than a responsibility. Today you’d be hard pressed to identify those willing to buy into Rogers’s notion that it’s “our ultimate responsibility” to do unto others. The statement however does bring to mind a virtue that lately has vanished quicker than your average pop princess – the art of respect. Respect is about understanding and accepting the differences…
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03Jun 2014 by CJ

Learning a history lesson – your own

Life & Living, Youth
Many of us aren’t all that interested in hearing stories of the past recanted by our relatives. But for me, I always enjoy hearing how life was drastically different so many years ago. And while progress has certainly made our lives easier and medical advances have allowed us to live longer, I’m still not convinced that our lives are better all around. My grandmother often told me the following story, which became known as “the food on a rope story”. My grandmother came from a family of nine brothers and sisters. Her mother stayed home to raise the children in their modest North Bergen, NJ apartment, while her father earned a living as a furniture refinisher. Money was always tight for this large family, as were the sleeping quarters –…
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