A Beacon of Light

“There is a child in everyone of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking fora brightly-lit front porch.”Robert Brault

“Be watchful!  Be alert!”Mark 13:33 [Information in this post was updated November 1, 2025] Four words… straight from the Bible. How prophetic they have proven to be in my experience as a longterm employee, and now retiree, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San José. I share this blog post today for the benefit of…

“Sometimes the people around youwon’t understand your journey.They don’t need to, it’s not for them.” Joubert Botha In 1974, I opted to take a gap-year from college to accept a teaching position at a high school in the Bahamas. At the conclusion of that academic year, my Dad admitted to me that, at first, he thought…

“All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” Helen Keller I want to keep this short and sweet. If my Dad were still alive today, we would be celebrating his 100th birthday.  Dad died a little more than seventeen years ago — on July 31, 2008. Was he the perfect father? Uh,… is there such…

“Mochi is a small gift of deliciousness from the gods.”Caroline Ishii After dinner last night, I had a craving for something cold and sweet. Not surprisingly, I went to the freezer to see if we had any ice cream. What I found was even better. On the top shelf, I saw a small box of mochi ice…

“Books are uniquely portable magic.” Stephen King My travels in San Francisco yesterday took me to the halls of Holy Name School on 40th Avenue in the Sunset District. This was a highly unusual excursion for me, as I attended Holy Name’s rival school, Saint Gabriel, for my elementary school years. I had never set foot inside…

“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” Plato I visited a friend’s home on Friday afternoon. He lives in a studio apartment in an upscale senior living facility in Los Gatos. The grounds of the facility are neatly groomed, with the perfect a balance of colorful shrubs, plants, trees, and grass throughout the complex. When I…

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”L. Frank BaumThe Wizard of Oz

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”Maya Angelou There is a great deal of wisdom in these inspiring words of author Maya Angelou, yet I know, from having read his book, All Things Beautiful, that Pat Maguire would respectfully disagree. No greater agony? I’m sorry, but Pat knows a thing or two…

“Coffee… the favorite beverage of the civilized world.” Thomas Jefferson I don’t drink coffee. Why? I dislike the taste. It’s that simple. The aroma of coffee, however, has been one of my favorite smells throughout my lifetime. It brings back vivid memories of times in the early- to mid-1960s when my paternal grandmother would stay at our home…