A Beacon of Light

“Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.”George Eliot At about this time on this date fifteen years ago, I found myself driving, quite unexpectedly, to San Francisco to say goodbye to my Dad. He had fallen down the steps of our family home and had been taken by ambulance to the trauma…

“Our legacy is really the lives we touch, the inspiration we give, altering someone’s plan, if even for a moment, and getting them to think, cry, laugh, and argue.”Carrie Hamilton It was a strange request. This past week, I assisted a friend of a friend in the process of updating his résumé and writing a cover letter for…

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Alexander William Kinglake (1830) This well-known children’s rhyme was included in a poem written in 1830. In my own childhood in the early 1960’s, these words were a common response to insults by bullies on the playground. I’m not exactly sure how old I was…

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi There is much in life over which we have no control. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that most things in life are out of our control. Does this leave us helpless to change the world? Absolutely not! One of the root…

“Life is not  happening to you.  Life is  responding to you.” ~ Unknown We’ve all been asked the question, at one time or another, “Which came first — the chicken or the egg?” In most cases, this would be considered a rhetorical question, a brain-teaser for which no legitimate response would be expected. Not surprisingly, however,…

“Pledge to excel through love and unity.” ~ Bahamian National Anthem Readers of my books and blogs, and those who know me well, might have noticed that I have this thing about the Bahamas. Let me explain. I spent eight years of my life at Saint Gabriel School in San Francisco, yet rarely do I speak of…

“If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.” ~ Tecumseh On December 23, 2006, I launched my first blog — Attitude of Gratitude. Over the next sixteen years, I penned approximately 2,000 posts about the people, things, and experiences for which I am grateful in my life. On November 9, 2022, I…

“The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.” Frederick Douglass As we celebrate the 247th anniversary of our independence, I think it would be wise to reflect on the words of Frederick Douglass, an American social reformer, writer, and statesman. On July 4, 1852, Douglass, a black man, gave the keynote…

“I don’t need to know everything. I just need to know where to find it when I need it.”~ Albert Einstein Some people think I’m highly intelligent. I don’t happen to be one of them. I know a few individuals who are, without a doubt, gifted with superior intelligence. I am often in awe of the magnitude of information…