Walking For A Cause

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” ― John Bunyan

Our son Jonathan has Crohns Disease and works every day to live a normal life. For over ten years he has dealt with this condition and has still succeeded in making it through high school, college and graduate school.

On May 7th, he takes a step in raising money to help combat this illness.

Will you help me me reach my goal in helping us raise some needed research dollars!

This year, I will be walking in the Take Steps for Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Take Steps is CCFA's national walk the nation's largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. It is a casual 2-3 mile stroll to raise money for crucial research, bringing us closer to a future free from Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Over 1.6 million American adults and children are affected by these digestive diseases. While many suffer in silence, Take Steps brings this community together in a fun, energetic and supportive atmosphere.

Your donation will help support local patient programs, as well as important research projects.

This cause is very close to me and I appreciate your help as we fight for cures!

In addition to donating, you can join me at the event. There will be food, music and family activities. The more money we raise, the closer we will be to making life more manageable for patients who live with these diseases every day.

Please join me or donate in my efforts to support CCFA in finding cures!

Stay inspired my friends!

Run, Buddy, Run

“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” ― Dean Karnazes

What do you do when the mob is after you? What if all the toils and troubles of life seem to be gaining the upper hand on you?

Run, Buddy, Run.

Keep moving, keep pressing forward in life and eventually those troubles will fade into the past. But you have to keep running.

Now that is advice we can all use.

Stay inspired my friends.

Love The Color Of It All

"Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed." - Cavett Robert

A friend from Cork City, Ireland sent me the following video which was perfect timing some years back.

To see the faces of people as the excitement rushed through the crowd was quite thrilling. My wife and I have been on this same city shopping street in large crowds. Many times it is the usual passing of people trying their best to shop and enjoy a crowded Saturday.

What can happen among thousands of strangers?

An excitement of something bigger then one self and the enjoyment of just living. While the video ends and the Saturday shopping crowds go on about their business, for a moment a different possibility existed. We then go back to our normal movement from shop to shop, completing our unfinished business but maybe with a bigger smile in our heart.

The group Bell X1 sings, "I love the color of it all." Each of us can love the color of life around us and carry that excitement within us.

You might be surprised how much your heart can carry once you begin to fill it.

Stay inspired my friends!

It Is Good

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." - John Wesley

A couple of weeks ago, the Christian calendar observed Good Friday. Hopefully you do not go running away by changing your browser to Google or any other search engine. I am not here to talk religion but about a way of living.

The giving of ones self for a greater purpose.

It is an idea of sacrifice in our life for others or giving ourselves up to something greater. We each sacrifice something in our lives whether realized or not.

As children we learn to share our toys. We give up control of the Ninja Turtle and play in a group in a much more fun way.

As young adults we date, foregoing poker night with the guys or girls doing whatever it is girls hang out doing.

Marriage occurs and possibly a new baby comes along, so we sacrifice personal wants in order to provide for our child.

Giving up something for ourselves in order to give to someone else.

It is an act of sacrifice on our part for the betterment of someone else. The sacrifice of giving money to a worth while charity. We know the same money could have been used to buy a new fancy boat or the latest designer clothes.

We each have out own self indulgences to which we send our money or spend our time. But the sacrifice of something personal can one day change the life of another. It can change your own life.

It might mean giving of one's time to help another move their belongings or donating time to help feed the hungry. Impacting the life of another person in need has a powerful effect upon them and on you.

When you do for others, you are doing quite a bit for yourself.

So yes, this might have seemed like an article about the Christian belief of Jesus sacrificing his life for us. But the principle holds true for all religions and non-religious people. When we help each other, the world becomes a better place.

We become a better people.

Find a way to involve yourself in the lives of others. The return on your investment is a better life for you and everyone else.

Stay inspired my friends!