According to Inc. magazine, the best managers share a similar understanding about workplace, company, and team dynamics.  Here are just two of those core beliefs. ▪ A company is a community, not a machine.  Good bosses see their company as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose.  They encourage their employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community and the company at large. ▪ Motivation comes from... Read more

Do you feel like you want to grow closer to God?  Benedictine Sister Angela Jarboe suggests planting a garden. She has led numerous garden retreats at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, Indiana, with positive results.  She explains that witnessing the growth of various flowers rejuvenates both the body and soul. “Everything God creates is unique,” Sister Angela told  David Shaughnessy of the Indianapolis archdiocesan newspaper, The Criterion.  “Everything has a life cycle.  In our lives, we have... Read more

At Urbana High School in Frederick County, Maryland, a popularity contest was won by a most deserving student. Kevin Schombert is a sports enthusiast, a manager of the high school’s basketball team, and a beloved part of the school community.  He also has Down syndrome.  What better way to honor his spirit and dedication, thought senior Caitie Cyr, than by nominating Schombert for Homecoming King? Cyr created a Facebook page to generate support for her idea.  She wrote, “Kevin lives,... Read more

As a tribute to his late mother, the Rev. Chuck Currie wrote the following prayer for Mother’s Day: “God, this Mother’s Day we stop to give You thanks for our mothers.  We remember the times that they have set aside their own needs to tend to ours.  We remember those moments where they have expressed love for us when no one else would…We remember moms that we have lost and ask that Your spirit hold them fast—and that You watch... Read more

Violinists enrich a symphony by the individual touch they bring into their playing.  According to an acoustical scientist, if all the violinists in an orchestra hit the same note at exactly the same instant, the effect would be like the amplification of a single instrument. “Of course,” he added, “the violinists must play very close together to produce good music.  But they play just far enough apart—in pitch and timing—to achieve a richness, an aliveness, which they would not have... Read more

As a popular blogger, author, wife, and mother of five kids, Hallie Lord knows what it’s like to be busy.  She also realizes that she is just one of the many women out there who may feel overwhelmed at times because of everything they have to do.   That’s why she points out the importance of women doing something for themselves once in a while without feeling like they’re neglecting their responsibilities. During a Christopher Closeup interview about her book Style,... Read more

If your child is a recent college graduate, watching him or her struggle to find a job can be frustrating.  But there are some positive things parents can do to help. ▪ Look for internships. Such an opportunity can lead to full-time employment. ▪ Stay location-flexible. Seek out options in less popular locations—rural, remote or even Third World spots. ▪ No blank checks. Think carefully before offering financial assistance. If you do, make it related to job-seeking, such as for... Read more

The stress Jodi Sampson experienced after being told her two-year-old son had cancer could have been unbearable if it weren’t for the relief she found in running as exercise. After six years of chemotherapy, her son was declared cancer-free. But then, Sampson was diagnosed with breast cancer herself.  Her doctors thought exercise could still be beneficial, even during radiation treatments.  So, she made sure to keep on running. Now thankfully cancer-free, Sampson shared these tips with Fitness magazine about how... Read more

Twenty-somethings Kara Eschbach and Janet Sahm felt disappointed that modern women’s magazines didn’t reflect their own lives, hopes, and values.  As an alternative, they launched Verily magazine in summer 2012 to “start fresh conversations on what it means to be real women” and focus on inner beauty as well as fashion and appearance. As Eschbach explained on Christopher Closeup, “Women today are more unhappy than ever.  There’s a statistic pointing out that 70 percent of young girls feel worse about... Read more

When Queens, New York, resident Mike Gitelson was diagnosed with acute myeloid anemia in 2011, treatment required heavy doses of chemotherapy.  His wife, Eileen Lopez, asked a friend with connections to the Mets if he could get a team member to call Mike, who was a diehard fan.  The caller would be All-Star knuckleball pitcher, R.A. Dickey. Dickey invited the couple to a Mets game in June.  They got a tour of Citi Field—and conversation time as well.   As reported... Read more