A Beacon of Light

“In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.” ~ Okakura Kakuzo For the past month or so, Kathy and I have been visiting the downtown Campbell Farmers Market on Sunday mornings. Along with a variety of fresh fruit, health drinks, and other organic products, Kathy has also purchased several plants and bunches of colorful…

“March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” ~ English Proverb It appears that the words of this well-known proverb, the origin of which is uncertain, will prove to be accurate once again this year. It was raining with the high temperature in the mid-50ºs on Friday, March 1st. Today, on…

“Man loves company — even if it is only that of a small burning candle.” ~ G.C. Lichtenberg There are many things in life that nurture my soul. A lighted candle is one of them. Last month, while shopping at CVS, I happened to see a candle which caught my attention. It was made by…

“Dollars do better if they are accompanied by sense.” ~ Earl Riney One dollar. Two 50¢ pieces. Four quarters. Ten dimes. 100 pennies. Their value is all the same, and compared to its purchasing power in my childhood, it’s not worth much today. What could $1.00 buy sixty years ago — in 1964? Here are…

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” ~ Coretta Scott King I have friends,… and I have family. Many members of my family are also my friends, and a good number of my friends are like family. The older I get, the more grateful I am…

“What if today we were just grateful for everything?” ~ Charlie Brown My body has adopted a nice rhythm recently. I wake up every morning, without the need for an alarm clock, when I’ve had eight hours of sleep. If I go to bed at 11:00, I wake up at 7:00. When I get to…

“The voice of the sea speaks to the soul.” ~ Chopin I spent the day in San Francisco yesterday. My elementary school was celebrating its 75th anniversary with an afternoon reception on campus. I arrived in The City early enough to park my car by the school and walk up to The Tennessee Grill at…

As some of you may have noticed, my new book, A Focus on Gratitude, is incorrectly priced on Amazon. Actually, Amazon tells me that it’s not mis-priced. Rather, the selling price of $24.11 is not a purchase from Amazon. They allow third-party sellers on their site and this outrageous price is being offered by All…

As a follow-up to my recent blog post, A Lifelong Task, I thought it would be appropriate to share this brief Shel Silverstein poem.

“You can’t base your life on other people’s expectations.” ~ Stevie Wonder As a child, I dreamed of following in my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and pursuing a career as a firefighter in San Francisco. When we would visit my Dad at the firehouse, he would allow my siblings and me to climb on the…