Author name: jvessely

Things that make us happy Things that make us smile Things both big and small All things we think worthwhile -JSV_ It should take you approximately 60 seconds to read the following list of thoughts on specific things that, in most cases, should bring a smile to your face. After reading the list, I encourage […]

There has probably been as much written about friends and friendship as any other topic. Friendship has never been more evident to me than during this journey. I can’t begin to express thanks for all those cards, phone calls, emails, and texts filled with good thoughts and prayers. At the recent funeral of a beloved

This past week I interacted with at least 10 nurses, 10 doctors, five food service people and five cleaning people at the hospital. I was reminded how important it was to respect them and to value how each of them contribute to my recovery. I was also reminded how easy showing respect is to do.

Update – Well, the roller coaster ride continues but we’re glad to be on the ride considering the alternatives. I spent part of the first three days of the week in the hospital receiving antibiotic IV’s for bacteria in my blood. The word Sepsis was used more than once. It may have been as a

When you read things about a cancer diagnosis, you often read about some self doubt from the writer. I’ve written that an obvious question is, “Why did this happen to me?” The question is an obvious one. The issues that arise are in the responses to the question. What did I do to deserve this?

When this journey started, my friend Larry and others on similar journeys said there would be peaks and valleys. They encouraged me to stay strong in the face of the ups and downs of the treatments. I can honestly say that there have been far more good days than bad days. Having said that, the

Food and lodging $1,000, gasoline $150, extra food and drink $300 (whoa), morale building, priceless. No sales were made. No deals were made. No promotions were handed out but I promise you, the trip was a success by every other measure. In my higher education parlance a form of team building was held. We all

We’ve all experienced some major storms in our lives or have been close to someone who has. Storms such as: You’ve lost your job, you’ve become estranged from a sibling, your spouse wants to call it quits, you’ve been given a life-changing or life-threatening medical diagnosis, or your son or daughter announces a lifestyle change

There comes a time in our lives when we go into reflection mode. If you have been reading about my journey, you know that I’m in that mode. My thought today is to encourage us to become reflective sooner rather than later. For example, today is Father’s Day and since I wasn’t writing yet on

A number of years ago I brought a colleague, Will Keim, to campus for leadership development work with students as well as faculty and staff who worked closely with those student leaders. Will had served as a campus minister in Corvallis, Oregon (Oregon State University) and had witnessed numerous occasions when a student or group