A Beacon of Light

“Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet Him.”  Bumper Sticker As we near the end of the fifth month of 2025, it is imminently clear that driving on the streets of our cities can be perilous. Red light running has grown to epidemic proportions. Texting while driving is considered…

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.  I will be forever grateful to have lived during the papacy of Pope Francis I. His vision, energy, positivity, and compassion for “the least of these among us” has inspired me and modeled for the…

“You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.”  Albert Einstein British scholar Richard Garnett reminded us of a basic truism in life: “Love is the greatest gift one generation can leave to another.” My wife, Kathy, who is the mother of our three sons and grandmother to five beautiful…

“It is an odd thing, but everyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco.”  Oscar Wilde Okay, so it’s not exactly that he disappeared, but my good friend, and former college roommate, Pierce Murphy was seen in The City this past Friday. This I know for sure. We took CalTrain together from…

“The royal road to a man’s heart is to talk to him about the things he treasures most.”  Dale Carnegie It’s no secret that women and men communicate in different ways and for different reasons. Dr. Deborah Tannen, in her book You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, explains that while women attempt…

“The waves of the sea help me get back to me.”  Jill Davis Stuff happens. We all know this. Things we didn’t expect to be dealing with suddenly change the course of our lives, leaving us with no choice but to adjust. And so, we do. Today, Brendan and I took a drive over the…

“Men and Women for others.”  Pedro Arrupe, S.J. After eight years at Saint Gabriel Elementary School in San Francisco, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, an all-boys Jesuit high school in San Francisco. I completed my undergraduate studies at Santa Clara University and earned my Master’s degree at the…

“When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that is the purest love you can find on this earth.”  Mitch Albom Mom passed away in August 2022. At the time of her passing, Kathy and I had four grandchildren — Liam, Emily, Penelope, and Scarlett. Each of them had met their great-grandmother, and Mom…

“Old friends pass away. New friends appear.”  Dalai Lama My friend, Kim, passed away two years ago today — on May 10th, 2023 — after a seven-year battle with cancer. Over a period of 48 years, Kim and I had corresponded by postal mail, email, social media, FaceTime, and an occasional phone call. Although she…

“The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.”  William James I have had the pleasure of spending a significant amount of time with my son Brendan these past few days. I was with him on Tuesday morning as he was wheeled away from his room at Regional Medical Center for the…