Personal Change

You Changed My Life, Peter

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:07:00 -0500

I read the letter, my damp, trembling fingers sticking to the crisp ivory paper. It was from Columbia University. "We are pleased to inform you..." I'd been accepted to the Master of Fine Arts writing program! I was moving to New York City to pursue my dreams!

Then guilt overshadowed my excitement.

Act Positive, Become Positive

admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 09:17:00 -0600

Telemarketing. Not exactly anyone's dream job, but you wouldn't know it, looking at and listening to those three—laughing and bantering as if they couldn't imagine anything more fun than cold-calling complete strangers.

I couldn't stand these women and their sunny attitude. It was such a stark contrast to how I felt that I almost couldn't believe we lived in the same world doing the same thing. If I didn't need the money so bad, most days I wouldn't have even bothered to leave my apartment, let alone go to work.

Easter: Day of Glorious Hope

mcherkezian — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:35:43 -0600

The most tremendous of all earthly events took place almost 2,000 years ago when Jesus of Nazareth, put to death by the cruel power of Rome, rose from His tomb and appeared again to His sorrowing followers.

With their despair turned to joy, they were inspired to carry His spirit and His teachings to the ends of the earth.

That was the first and greatest Easter experience. But Easter experiences have been happening ever since. They happen every day.

New Healthy You Week 10: Have Some Fun

jbloustein — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:37:41 -0600

1. Crack up laughing.
A good belly laugh is roughly equivalent to jogging when it comes to your cardiovascular system. It raises your pulse and blood pressure, makes you breathe faster which oxygenates your body, helps your arteries stay healthy, improves your immune system, reduces pain, and even burns calories (50 of them in just 10-15 minutes).

The Good Doctor

admin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:45:00 -0500

The West Hill neighborhood of Albany, New York, is one of the poorest in the state. But there's a place where people—everyone from single moms and kids, to the elderly and ill—can find relief. It's a clinic, dedicated to providing everyone with the best treatment possible. That's where Dr. Bob comes in.

Bob Paeglow grew up in West Hill, back when it was a different neighborhood. His father was an X-ray technician, and told his son about how much he respected the doctors he worked with. But young Bob wasn't interested in medicine.

Game Plan

jbloustein — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:04:40 -0600

I’m a football player, a quarterback with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. I’m used to pain. You get hit, you get up and keep going.

But I’d never felt anything like the pain that ripped through my gut that January afternoon in 2004. One minute I was sitting in my lounge chair at home watching TV, the next minute I was doubled over. Not even Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis hitting me from the blind side hurt that bad. For a few minutes, I could hardly breathe. Finally the pain went away.

Down Payment on a Dream

admin — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:08:16 -0600

My teenage daughters, Sara and Reneé, and I were living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the late 1970s. I was a single parent, scraping by on a Social Security disability check. We were grateful for the row house I was able rent in Chestertown. I had learned how to make ends meet so we had just enough for rent, food, utilities and clothes.

Do the Opposite

admin — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 14:22:00 -0500

Another Saturday night, and I was home alone. As usual.

Not like I'd be good company anyway, I thought, glancing down at my wrinkled pajamas, which I hadn't changed out of since I had crawled out of bed at noon.

I burrowed deeper into the couch and clicked the TV remote. Maybe there was something halfway decent on. Something that would get my mind off my own pathetic existence.

One Man's Winning Ways

admin — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 10:02:00 -0500

Folks marvel at the way Willie Davis, a custodian at Arthur F. Smith Middle Magnet School in Alexandria, Louisiana, took on coaching boys' basketball. In 10 years he has led his players to a 163-33 record and three district championships, not to mention regular appearances on the honor roll.

How did an unassuming janitor, who was forced to drop out of high school, take to being a role model so naturally? For Willie—or "Coach D" as his players call him—the answer is simple: His father set a high standard.

Growing Pains

mcherkezian — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:20:55 -0600

I stepped out of class into a gray October afternoon. Stone paths wound their way between the gothic halls of Princeton University, where I was a sophomore.

I walked slowly until I came to an intersection, two paths splitting. Like I had so many times before, I stopped. A painful, soul-draining decision faced me. One path led toward my dorm room, where I knew I should go and get started on my classwork. The other path led to where I wanted to go—down the hill past the tennis courts to the boathouse on the lapping shore of Lake Carnegie.