Tag: Celebrate

Life Takes A Village

Today’s a new day! As the holidays are just a few days away, I encourage everyone to not forget about those loved ones going through loss this season. Whether the loss of a loved one happened a few days ago or decades ago, the pain is still real. Going through the grieving process can be a very dark and difficult time for a person. However, it is also hard for the loved ones of this individual. Family members and friends often struggle to find the best ways to be supportive. Plus, the holiday season can make this process that much more challenging.

If you are the loved one of a grieving individual, understanding the stages in this process is an important place to start, but there are also many genuine things you can do to show your love and help.

Reach out to them. Most grieving people find it hard to take initiative and reach out to others. You can help by doing this for them. Stay connected with them via visits, phone calls, text, email or video chat. Make sure you are still checking in on them in the months following their loss, when fewer people are doing so.

Find ways to help. Come up with specific tasks you can assist with. Volunteer to drop off pre-made dinners so they don’t have to worry about cooking. Check and see if you can run errands for them. See if there is any house or yard work they need assistance with. Maybe they just need you to sit with them.

Don’t be afraid to say their name.To share stories. Those grieving can be concerned that their loved one will be forgotten by others. Therefore, don’t be afraid to mention the loved one’s name and to share stories about the person. Those stories may bring some tears, but they could also bring some much needed laughs.

This holiday season will be tough for many this year, so take the time to reach out to them and let them know you care. Life takes a village. ~OC

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God is so Good

Today’s a new day! As Laura and I have traveled this crazy beautiful health journey, we have continually declared “God is so good to us.” It isn’t about material wealth or any signs of success. Laura and I live a very simple life. But some of the greatest blessings in life are not the ones you can hold or see, but the ones you carry in your heart. ~OC

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True Meaning of Christmas

Today’s a new day! As we celebrate this Christmas season, I wanted to share my thoughts on the true meaning of Christmas.

For me and many Christians, Jesus is the reason for the season and my family and friends mean the world to me and are a beautiful blessing. With all the shopping, parties and trying to have the perfect Christmas, so many people lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Isn’t it supposed to be shared with those you love most? Isn’t our presence supposed to be more valuable than presents? What happened along the way to constantly change people’s perspective? Aren’t we supposed to be remembering the most famous story in the Bible of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and the Angel visiting them in the manger telling them not to be afraid of the Angel’s presence? We are supposed to be surrounded with our loved ones, attend Christmas service and gather around tables eating together and sharing holiday memories with loved ones.

If only people could really understand the true meaning of Christmas and not be so infatuated with the gifts, lights, shopping deals and trying to spend the most money to impress people. Gifts fade and become meaningless, time passes, people forget what you purchased them and we tend to glorify the wrong things and situations. While receiving gifts is fun and rewarding in the short term, actually caring for and spending time with the people we love is a lot more important. Being together with loved ones and sharing time together is what this Christmas season is all about. Giving back to our community is what we should be looking forward to and trying to help those in need. Saying a prayer for someone hurting this holiday is a good start if you cannot afford to buy anything monetarily.

I know the holidays are difficult for people who have lost loved ones during this time of year, or might be going through a difficult season in life. However, we cannot allow these negative situations to hold us back from receiving Jesus’s love for us and spreading holiday cheer. Do not allow your current or past circumstances cloud your future happiness and the joy of this season. Make the choice to live with a grateful heart for the small things in life and try not to dwell too much on the past. Spend some time reflecting on 2024 and look forward to all that God has for you in 2025. Take some time to count your blessings.

The true meaning of Christmas is what you make of it and not all the fancy gifts that sit under trees and will be forgotten as years pass. Go out and make new memories with your family and friends that will last a lifetime. I promise you – time spent together with loved ones is better than money well spent on items that have a lot less meaning to them. Merry Christmas to you all and blessings for the New Year. ~OC

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The Power of One

Today’s a new day! More importantly, it’s Rosa Parks Day. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks changed the course of history with one act. Ms. Parks refused to give up her seat on the city bus to a white passenger, as the unjust law demanded her to do during that time of American History. She was removed from the bus and arrested. Yet her spontaneous defiance sparked the ensuing Montgomery Bus Boycott, a movement of blacks and whites that took shape within hours of her arrest and advanced the civil rights movement across the United States. The boycott lasted 381 days. A time in which black commuters walked, rode bikes, or accepted rides from sympathetic supporters — until a district court ruling declared bus segregation unconstitutional. This ruling was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, striking down the practice across the country. And this was just the beginning: the boycott galvanized a national network of support, and created a framework of committed activists, that would form the backbone of the civil rights movement for decades to come. ~OC

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” ~Rosa Parks

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Sportsmanship

Today’s a new day! The last few days we celebrated Rivalry Week in College Football. The games did not disappoint. There were some amazing moments, finishes and upsets. But most people will not be talking about that today. No, sadly most people will be discussing incidents of winning teams trying to place their team flags on the logos of the losing teams and the brawls that ensued. At Ohio State, police used pepper spray on players. How crazy is that. Which brings me to the question about sportsmanship.

Although it comes in many forms, everyone can give a few examples of what sportsmanship looks like and what it takes to be viewed as a “good sport”: We shake hands before and after games, we clap for injured players once they show they are okay, and we extend a hand to help an opponent get up off of the ground. These examples are just scratching the surface of displaying good sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship is an understanding of and commitment to fair play, ethical behavior and integrity, and general goodwill toward an opponent. It is an affirmation that an athlete is disciplined enough to have perspective, maintain poise and do what is best for his or her teammates.

Being able to make appropriate behavioral choices at the “moment of truth” and in a pressure situation will often reveal a player’s character and his or her ability to be a good sport. Simply put, sportsmanship is a choice.

It is easy for the athletes, coaches and fans to get caught up in a game and become too focused on winning. Although winning is important, it is not always the most important aspect of the game. There is so much to be gained and learned from an athletic experience that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Good sportsmanship is one of those life lessons that should be intentionally learned, taught, practiced and reinforced.

No matter how much we would like to, we cannot win at everything every time. So we need to learn to deal with defeat. After a hard fought game in which everything was left on the playing field in a losing effort, it can be very difficult to look your opponents in the eye and tell them “good game” or “good job.” But this is what is asked of athletes. The key question is: How do we handle losing with class?

Keep losing in perspective. Just as in life, sports are a learning experience. Very few wins and losses are remembered, even a short time later. 

Always accept responsibility for the loss. Acknowledge the winners and congratulate them. Sometimes your opponent was just better. Even if they are not better, they were better on that particular day. The effort should be acknowledged. Sulking shows a lack of discipline and respect.

Winning is fun! It is the reward for your hard work. But excessive gloating and flaunting your win in front of the losing team does not promote or show good sportsmanship. Remember how you feel when you’re on the losing side of a sporting or life event.

Keep winning in perspective. Winning doesn’t mean you were perfect or that you will win again. Celebrate your win, but celebrate your win with class, respect and grace.

Have empathy for the team you defeated; win with humility and class. Acknowledge your opponents’ effort and that they were worthy competitors. The late , great North Carolina basketball Coach Dean Smith once said, “A lion never roars after a kill.” I love that quote and the parallel to what “good winning” should look like.

Life is tough, and life is not fair. Like life, sports are tough and not always fair. Yet sports can be a wonderful training ground for life’s challenges. Just like we win some and lose some in sports, we also deal with plenty of successes, challenges and failures in our own lives. Let’s try to be good sports in both the winning and losing situations and during our successes, challenges and failures.

Let me leave you with a few more quote about sportsmanship:

“One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it.” ~ Former University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach Knute Rockne

“Sometimes I think sportsmanship is a little bit forgotten in place of the individual attention.” ~ MLB Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr.

“If character is what you do when no one is watching, then sportsmanship is that conduct with everybody watching.” ~ ESPN Sportscaster Bob Ley

“Sportsmanship is that quality of honor that desires always to be courteous, fair, and respectful, and it is interpreted in the conduct of players, spectators, coaches, and school authorities.” ~ Former University of Michigan Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Fielding H. Yost

I truly hope we will spend some time reflecting on the importance of sportsmanship in all areas of sports and life. ~OC

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Memories

Sitting back reflecting on the chapters of my life

Wondering where all the time went

I can’t believe all the memories and blessings God has given me over the years

The chapters of my life come flooding back

I keep those memories close

It seems like some happened yesterday, but 40 years have passed But those memories with friends from the 80’s stay in my heart

still so fresh in my mind

and I will keep them close as always

Memories from my past are memories forever

Today’s memories may be a little harder to recall,

but those memories from the past stay in my heart and mind forever

Those beautiful memories will never fade

In God’s hands a lifetime of memories is not too long

To keep those memories in my mind

Living in hope, I would love to add another chapter or two to my collection of beautiful memories, for when that day comes that memories are all I have

I will hold the memories of our love close. Memories from today may be a little harder to recall, but those memories of saying “I do” back in ‘99 will stay fresh in my mind

It won’t even seem I’ve gone. You’ll still be a beautiful memory in my mind

‘Cause our love is bigger than any disease

We will hold onto the love that keeps us strong

Memories from my past are memories forever

Today’s memories may be a little harder to recall,

but those memories from yesterday’s past stay in my heart and never fade

They stay forever in my mind

In God’s hands a lifetime of memories, is not too long

To keep those memories in my mind

Memories with family and friends

Are memories forever

I will hold them close

Never forgetting the laughter and joy

The memories made so long ago

Will be what I take when the days begin to fade

Memories from my past are memories forever

Today’s memories may be a little harder to recall,

but those memories from yesterday’s past stay in my heart and never fade

They stay forever in my mind

In God’s hands a lifetime of memories is not too long

To keep those memories in my mind

Though it’s hard to recall moments from today

In the Father’s hands I know

That a lifetime’s not too long

To keep those beautiful old memories fresh in my mind. ~OC

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Grateful

Today’s a new day! I’m grateful this morning for another day to breathe, to think and make more memories with my bride, friends and family.

I’m grateful for my cup of ice tea and a cool breeze on our balcony.

I am grateful for the anticipation of this new day.

I am grateful to be living in peace.

I’m grateful to still be alive, now, in this place and at this time.  I’m ever-thankful for the extra time God has given me.

I am grateful for the freedom to write in my hometown and to write whatever, however, whenever I please.

I am grateful for the amazing people God has brought my way on this crazy beautiful health journey. Thankful to have met so many creative and loving people over the past twenty-two years.

I am grateful for the friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin.

I am thankful that my gratitude stretches around the world with all the people who have walked this journey with me through this blog and my other social media pages.

I am grateful to live in love, hope and peace and cherish this day that the Lord has given me. ~OC

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My NYC Marathon Experience…Almost

Today’s a new day! The New York City Marathon is this morning. I will watch it on tv and root for each of the runners. I will also spend a moment reflecting on my NYC Marathon experience that never happened.

Back in 2010, I should have been in New York City with the other 45,344 runners competing that day. But on that Sunday morning, I was in the hospital fighting for my life. It would be another nine years before I would even have the ability to lace up my running shoes and attempt to run. Unfortunately, that would be a short lived experience as my health took another turn for the worse.

I still look back on my running days more with a smile than I do with disappointment, but I must admit missing that 2010 NYC Marathon is still one of my biggest regrets of my running career. The opportunity to be at the starting line with thousands of other runners, to experience the excitement of hearing the starting gun go off, to run through the streets of NYC with thousands of people cheering the runners on and crossing that finish line is a memory I miss from my running days. It is a moment I will always wonder about.

But this Sunday morning, like I have been doing for many years, I will be watching and cheering on each of the runners blessed with the amazing opportunity to run the NYC Marathon. There will also be a moment where I will imagine myself running through the finish line with my arms raised high. You can never really take the runner out of the runner.

Best wishes for all of the runners fulfilling your dreams of running in the NYC Marathon today. Embrace every minute of every single mile. I will be cheering you on. Go Get It! ~OC

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Some Lessons Learned Along the Way….

Today’s a new day! As I have walked this crazy beautiful health journey, I have learned many lessons. Here are just a couple:

*Caregivers have the toughest job. As a patient, I have a game plan laid out and designed by my medical team. There is really no playbook for the caregivers. Each day is a new experience for them. So if you have a friend or loved one who is a caregiver, please check on them. Offer to help in any way you can.

*Every patient has a starting point and an ending point. Of course, the starting point is the day of the diagnosis and the endpoint is the day the patient takes their last breath. But the adventures, laughs, tears and memories in between those two dates are what everyone will remember. Make the choice to truly embrace every moment of this crazy beautiful health journey. ~OC

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