A Beacon of Light

“Sometimes sitting and doing nothing is the best something you can do.”  Karen Salmansohn When the week began, I was planning to be in Camarillo, California this evening, a quick stop on my way to visit my brother, Tom, in Los Angeles. No one could have predicted that Brendan would have a basketball mishap on…

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”  Lao Tzu Dr. Susan Kobasa is one of the leading researchers on the topic of resilience. Resilience is defined as “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties.” Kobasa identified three elements essential to being resilient: 1. Challenge: While some individuals are paralyzed…

“Strength shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.”  F. Scott Fitzgerald It happened in a split second yesterday morning. As Brendan elevated to slam-dunk the basketball, it snapped — his patellar tendon. Ruptured. The staff at 24 Hour Fitness called for an ambulance, which took Brendan to…

“There is no never… Just long periods of not yet.”  Solenn Housaff More often than not, I make an effort to approach life with a positive attitude. I like to think of myself as a “glass half full” kind of guy. Since November 2006, I have embraced an attitude of gratitude, which requires a mindset…

“May your Sunday be blessed with moments of serenity, laughter, and profound gratitude.” It’s Sunday,… the first Sunday in May 2025. As I reflect back on the past week, I am filled with gratitude for the countless blessings I experienced. On Tuesday, I visited Hakone Gardens in Saratoga for the first time. On Wednesday evening,…

“Take me out to the ball game,…”  Jack Norworth This is a trivia question which might stump the most devoted fans of the game of baseball: Who wrote the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”? We’ve all heard it. We’ve all sung it. Most people know the lyrics (or something close to the…

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”  Frances Hodgson I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, but even though I’ve known of the existence of Hakone Estate and Gardens in Saratoga, California for more than forty years, I had never visited the site until this week.…

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”  Albert Einstein “How many followers do you have on your blog?” It was an innocent enough question. It would have been nice if I could have provided an accurate response, but nothing is less important to me than how many followers or subscribers…