A Beacon of Light

“Often the future is shaped not by what we remember, but by what we forget.”  Wendy Doniger Forgetfulness is a seriously misunderstood phenomenon. It can be embarrassing to forget someone’s birthday or the name of someone you’ve known for many years. It can be frustrating to forget your sunglasses when you leave home on a…

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” Frank Lloyd Wright I loved being in my 20’s. The period from 1974 to 1984 was the most transformative era of my life. I unexpectedly began a teaching career in September 1974 when I accepted a position on the faculty at Saint Augustine’s College in the…

“All of the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” St. Francis of Assisi In the past few years, Kathy and I have increasingly enjoyed the ambiance provided by scented candles in our home. We’ve purchased dozens of them from a number of stores, including Yankee Candle, CVS, Target, and…

“As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.” Henry David Thoreau Once-in-a-lifetime experiences are more common than one might realize. As I reflect on my own life, I recall seeing Senator Robert Kennedy in San Francisco approximately thirty hours before his assassination in June 1968; watching a spectacular sunset in Montego Bay, Jamaica on…

“You must not lose faith in humanity.” Gandhi I have always considered the Santa Clara CalTrain Station parking lot to be a safe place to park a vehicle. The headquarters of the Santa Clara Police Department is located directly across the street from the north end of the lot. Santa Clara University is across The…

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”  Aristotle Onassis It has been more than two weeks since the Pacific Palisades fire broke out in Los Angeles, destroying hundreds of homes belonging to some of Southern California’s most wealthy and well-known residents. It is currently 68% contained. Sadly, the…

“Community [is] a potent source of health and well-being.”  Vivek Murthy In his recently published letter, My Parting Prescription for America, outgoing U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy addresses the epidemic of loneliness in the United States. He calls the current situation in our country “a crisis of spirit.” Murthy urges Americans to work at developing…

“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”  Socrates At first, I thought it was just me. Throughout much of my life, I had this nagging feeling that if people really knew me the way I knew myself, they wouldn’t like me. I wasn’t a bad…

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”  Gandhi In 2004, when I turned 50, I was told, “50 is the new 30.” In 2014, when I turned 60, I was told, “60 is the new 40.” Last June, when I turned 70, I was told, “You’re old!”  No, seriously, no one said…

“I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”  Woody Allen I do not fear death. It is inevitable at some point in my life, but I’m not quite ready to go yet. Although my affairs are in order, and have been for quite some time, there is still…