A Beacon of Light

I’ve never been much of a gambler — on sporting events, in card games with friends, in popular casinos, or in life itself. I’ve been to Reno. I’ve been to Tahoe. I’ve even been to Vegas. Those gaming venues pale in comparison to the world-class casino I experienced on Paradise Island in the Bahamas in…

I think it’s true that the more people speak, the less others listen. Unless we are particularly focused on what a person has to say, our attention span can be alarmingly limited. As a writer, I am constantly challenged to make my writing interesting without getting too wordy. When Fr. Michael Mitchell was appointed pastor…

We all have those little things that rub us the wrong way. Some call them “pet peeves.” One of my colleagues during my teaching days got incredibly annoyed whenever her students would click their pens repeatedly during class time. My oldest son, Tom, could not tolerate the sound of me rubbing my hands together in…

Today’s blog post was written by Ann Scapini Giluso, a graduate of St. Christopher School and Presentation High School in San José. While some may bristle at what she wrote, I can absolutely relate. We grew up in a different time, a different generation, a different world. Were we better off then than now? That’s…

“Wow! Ski boots are really comfortable.”~ No One Ever I don’t ski. I don’t snowboard. In fact, I’ve never driven my car in snow and I have no desire to do so. Ever. As beautiful as it is in snow country, I am not at all inclined (pun intended) to visit the Sierras in the…

As I peruse the myriad posts on my Facebook feed each day, I’m constantly amazed by the plethora of pure garbage I find there. I guess that’s to be expected from social media today. Fortunately, however, when I’m patient and persistent enough, I eventually come across valuable gems worthy of serious consideration — things I…

“Never complain about the officiating.It does no good. During the game,I don’t want to be fighting two opponents.” ~ Coach John Wooden In light of my previous post, I guess it’s no surprise that I would begin this article with another quote by the incredible John Wooden. Coach Wooden’s name is normally associated with basketball,…

“Coach Wooden was a humble, private man who selflessly gave up his life to make other people’s lives better… He gave us the necessary tools to overcome the adversity and obstacles that he knew from the beginning would always be in our way.” ~ Bill Walton Steve Jamison is a bestselling author who is considered…

“I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.” ~ John Steinbeck These words from American author John Steinbeck can be found in his book, The Winter of Our Discontent, the last novel he published. While a major theme of this work is the effect of societal pressure, this is not what I…

After several years of drought here in California, we are finally getting some rain. In fact, we’re getting quite a bit of rain. This is a good thing… in the long run. For the moment, however, the heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds, have caused a number of floods and mudslides throughout the Bay Area…