Grow in Virtue's Blog

Back in 2005 I was working for a large corporation. Making some pretty good money. Traveling often. Promoted several times. Life was busy. I was miserable. I quit. Leaving that job coincided with the start of summer. And after much consideration (about 10 minutes), I decided to take the entire...

The topic of my last article was on perseverance. When I wrote it, I had no idea that I was about to enter an extremely tough time in my life. Since that article nearly three weeks ago, things have taken a difficult turn. My mother, who lost the use of her right leg two years, has now lost the...

One of the things I would like to deny about myself (but can’t) is that I have a tendency to bail on things. When someone raises their voice to me, I’m ready to walk away. When my life becomes what I feel I didn’t sign up for, I start seeing greener grass. Whenever I’m in a funk, I start to...

I’m disappointed. Constantly. Other people irritate me. They don’t do the things I want them to do. They don’t react the way I want them to react. They’re rude. They’re inconsiderate. They’re selfish. And this leaves me constantly annoyed, angry, frustrated and disillusioned. And I’m officially...

In the past few years I have been living a life that is more intentional, peaceful and controlled. And as I slow down, I notice more than ever just how fast our lives can often be. Some of my friends are always on the go! They eat out several times a week. They’re involved in many...

Near-fatal car accidents. Self-reflection. Priorities. What do they all have in common? Well, at least for me, they helped me with gaining perspective. April 14, 2010 is a day I will never forget. Having made an “it’s about time” exit from winter, spring was amongst us. And the grass in my lawn...

Growing old is inevitable. Sure we can dress young, act young, and even color our hair to make us think we’re young. But, at a certain point, we are suddenly slapped with a jarring realization: we are closer to the grave than the cradle. I watched a movie recently about a group of former...

One of my biggest weaknesses (and I stress one of them) is just how impatient I am. I want everything my way. Right away! Actually, perhaps I’m not alone in this… We’re living in a growing culture of impatience, which makes us conditioned to crave more and more instant gratification. For me, I...

I have been aboard the “minimalism” train for about six months now. Everyone that truly knows me, knows I love to talk about it. Perhaps even annoyingly so. If so, sorry. But I can’t seem to help myself. I prefer a simple life. There is something very freeing and rewarding about living a life...

Every day people are faced with making many decisions. Big or small, important or unimportant, this is part of life. And in life, we have to choose some things in preference to others. But choosing doesn’t always involve just “things”. Choosing also involves philosophies. Ways of living. Ways...

Stop Complaining for a Happier Life I learned a big lesson this week. Big careful what you ask for. Especially when you’re asking it from God. For Lent this year I gave up one (I stress “one”) of my biggest faults. Complaining. Well, at least that was my intent. It turns out that during my...

The past two weeks have been spent with three of my family members from England. They came specifically to visit my mother, who is their aunt. I suspect my mother reminds them a lot of their mother. The stories they have shared these two weeks have been a true joy. My mother hasn’t been this...

Our society is continually and rapidly advancing in technology. We can get information and communicate with others literally in seconds. No more having to go down to the library, hoping you can find the right book in the card catalog, and hoping that someone hasn’t already checked it out. No...

Last week my iPad went down. The screen kept locking up, blurring, then dissolving into nothingness. So, what’s a person to do? Get angry? Well, yeah. But after that? I bought a new one. A nice shiny, iPad Mini 3.0. I wouldn’t use it yet, though. Not until the case I ordered arrives from...