28Aug 2013 by CJ

The most important qualities of a person cannot be seen

Life & Living, Youth
It’s been a long time since I’ve sat down to enjoy the wonderment of children’s literature. I suppose as we grow older and the world of far-off, fairy tale lands are tainted by reality, our need and believability in such fiction disappears. As we continue to age, I think our power to dream, hope and imagine decreases. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why children’s literature is no longer applicable to adults – as we’re not always able to suspend our disbeliefs. And while the book, The Little Prince, which was written by Antoine De Saint-Exupery in 1943, was first conceived as a children’s story, it has come to be loved by adults all over the world – and I’m one of them. I was first introduced to…
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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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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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01May 2013 by CJ

Strength does not come from physical capacity

Life & Living, Youth
So often the trivialities of life consume us. Societal demands cause us to live stressful lives filled with anxiety as we struggle for relevance and acceptance in this material based world. We assign value to the unimportant, while shunning those whose presence we come to discover we could never live without. But there are some people who’ve developed an understanding of what is truly valuable in life. People with incredible strength to overcome hardships that might otherwise cripple the average human being. Fred Rogers always carried around an inspiring quote by Mary Lou Kownacki which read simply, “There isn’t anyone you couldn’t love once you’ve heard their story.” This blog has enabled me to hear some incredible stories from people all over the globe. And each one has profoundly influenced…
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21Feb 2013 by CJ

The tiniest percentage of what people do

Life & Living, Youth
Famed children’s television personality, Fred Rogers, once remarked that, “The media shows the tiniest percentage of what people do. There are millions and millions of people doing wonderful things all over the world, and they’re generally not the ones being touted in the news.” Sadly this practice seems to have trickled down to our own existence. We spend so much of our time focused on the challenges and struggles we face in life, that we often overlook that which deserves our gratitude and praise. This applies to our personal relationships, our occupations and yes, even in our schools. The educational system of today is constantly in the headlines – often used as the scapegoat for a host of issues plaguing youngsters today from low test scores, to bullying to even…
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