A Beacon of Light

“Music can take  you right back,  years back, to the  very moment certain  things happened  in your life.”   Aretha Franklin During my second visit to Japan, in November 1999, I was invited to visit the school in the coastal town of Sotome (a suburb of Nagasaki) where my host student, Saori, had attended elementary school.…

“You can’t reread a phone call.” Liz Carpenter At lunch on Sunday afternoon, I overheard a comment that caught my attention. I don’t know the context in which it was made, but my sister, Peggy, said, “No one writes letters anymore.” My first instinct was to disagree. Fortunately, I’ve learned that it’s sometimes wise to pause before…

“You don’t choose  your family.  They are God’s  gift to you, as you  are to them.”  Desmond Tutu Some of life’s greatest blessings aren’t things we can purchase, accomplishments we can celebrate, or the possessions we accumulate. They’re people. More specifically, they’re the people who share our journey through life, offering us a sense of…

“There is a  calmness  to a life lived  in gratitude.” Ralph Blum There is a long and cherished tradition of gift-giving at Christmas time, but have you ever thought about sending a gift to someone to express your gratitude at Thanksgiving? Of the seven books I’ve written and published in the past ten years, Through…

“Do not let the  behavior of others  destroy your  inner peace.”  Dalai Lama For many years, local and national news stations have attempted to hook viewers by referring to what is to be covered in the broadcast as BREAKING NEWS. I’ve finally reached the point where I am convinced that the news is no longer…

“It is by chance  that we met,  and by choice  that we  became friends.”   Henri Nouwen One of the greatest blessings of my teaching career was the opportunity to develop friendships with people whose lives and cultures were very different from my own. One such friendship is with Yuichiro Wakiyama of Omura, Japan, a suburb…

“The ultimate luxury  is to be able to  relax and enjoy  your own home.”  Jeff Lincoln There is something wonderfully satisfying about waking up in the morning and realizing that I have absolutely nowhere I need to be. No appointments that can’t be rescheduled. No meetings I need to attend. No errands that can’t wait…

“The unexamined  life is not  worth living.”Socrates Introspection means “to look inside.” It is the practice of examining one’s thoughts, feelings, words, and actions, and considering how they affect our own life and the lives of those around us. For much of my adult life, I’ve focused my attention outward — teaching, coaching, mentoring, parenting,…

“Autumn has arrived. I hear it in the whispering of leaves.” Dr. Anujj Elviis While Doctor Elviis may acknowledge the arrival of autumn by the whispering of the leaves, my experience has been a little different. Year after year, I know autumn has arrived when I hear and feel the deep, persistent cough in my chest. I can…

“There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more.” Robert M. Hensel I recently had a front-row seat to an unsettling scene at the grocery store. Standing at the checkout line at Safeway with a basket half-full of groceries, I found myself behind an elderly woman with just a handful of items…