A Beacon of Light

“Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is up to you.”  Ignatius of Loyola Forty years ago today, my brother, Tom, was ordained to the Jesuit priesthood at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. It goes without saying that he was strongly influenced by his experience as a student…

It was a perfect storm. A Friday in June. Spectacular weather forecast for the weekend. Road construction. Egotistical drivers, most in Teslas and BMWs, attempting to impress other drivers with their Indy 500 racing skills on a congested highway. More road construction. Cars, trucks, motorcycles. A horrific accident which required closing two lanes of I-80…

“It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.”  John Wooden It’s a morning I will never forget. In June 1974, with the resident students at Bellarmine College Prep having moved out of the dormitory for the summer, I had the responsibility of being the live-in liaison between the school and outside groups that…

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.”  Joseph Campbell After graduating from elementary school in June 1968, I attended Saint Ignatius High School at Turk & Stanyan Streets in San Francisco. In the fall of 1969, which was the beginning of my sophomore year, the school moved from the Stanyan…

“70 might be the new 40, but 9:00 p.m. is the new midnight.”  I received a number of birthday messages today. I appreciate all those who expressed their condolences on my turning seventy. One email in particular is worth a share. It began with a welcome to The Wonder Years, as in: • I wonder…

“No good deed goes unpunished.”  Brendan Gill It was a beautiful day — Sunday, May 19, 2024, the second day of the annual Downtown Campbell Boogie Festival. Spirits were high. Attendance was excellent. The performers, for the most part, were quite good. The smells emanating from the various vendor booths serving everything from grilled kabobs…

“There is nothing in the world so good as good neighbors.”  Laura Ingalls Wilder It is often said that the value of real estate is determined by three factors: location, location, and location. While that might be a clever comment, it’s anything but true. Certainly the location of a piece of property is a consideration,…

“A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.”  Maya Angelou It was so easy when I was younger. In my early childhood, I could walk up to another young person in the sandbox at the park and innocently ask, “Can I play with you?” It was a simple question, and the intention of the…

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”  Berthold Auerbach The City of Campbell, California is alive and well. Tucked away in a cozy corner of the Santa Clara Valley, it provides a respite from the hectic pace of what is now commonly referred to as Silicon Valley. Once known for its…

“If a story is in you, it has to come out.”  William Faulkner I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a number of people recently who have written manuscripts, or who plan to write something, and have questions about how to get their work published. I’ve met even more people, however, who have mentioned that they…