Look Up

"Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling." -Unknown

During a business trip to Teterboro, New Jersey one recent day, the location of my hotel was near the local airport. This airport is not a large commercial airport but does serve a lot of private jets and planes. It seemed as though every time I walked to the parking lot to get in the car or returned from somewhere, a plane was overhead.

I thought to myself that there seemed to be an awful lot of people heading one place or another. It also had me looking up quite a bit. And when you are looking up, you are seeing the brilliant sun and and an endless blue sky. If I held my head down and looked to the ground, all that I could see was the dirty asphalt.

What occurred to me is that by looking to the ground, nothing can inspire us. But if we look upward, possibility exists, soaring above us, to be reached only if we look up and see that it is there. Reaching for it becomes the next hurdle, but until we look up we will never know of that possibility.

So look up, see what exists and then reach for it. An old saying that the 'sky is full of possibility' really is true.

Stand Up To

Stand Up To Cancer

"Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare." -Voltaire

It was late in the afternoon of October 14, 2008 when my mother passed away from Pancreatic Cancer. The time was marked eerily by a previously stopped clock. It is a time that I will remember for its sadness but more for the memories she created for us.

About one month prior to her passing, Patrick Swayze appeared on the cancer research funding show called Stand Up To Cancer. He proudly stood and announced his own battle with Pancreatic Cancer. One year later he also passed away.

I could have waited until the anniversary of my mother's passing to bring this up, but when it is on my heart, that is the time to act. There are other people out there facing their own battle with cancer. Those people are your friends, your family, your children, your spouse and possibly you.

All of this means that now is the time to do something. Now is the time to act by contributing a few dollars to any number of organizations. Do your research of the organization you are giving dollars to. Find the right organization that fits for you. Your donation turns into research dollars that will help fight cancer of all types.

It also means standing up and doing something today. The same that is said about pursuing your dreams, you get up, you stand up today and begin moving towards it. Stand up today and make a difference.