A Beacon of Light

“Some secrets are shared. Some are kept. Some live beyond words. All three are part of who we are.”Leo Buscaglia Secrets. Many people have them. Some few are able to keep them. I was once told that a secret is defined as “something you tell one person… at a time!” It seems that there is a lot of truth in this.…

“Downtown San Mateo  is thriving as a regional destination.” Mackenzie Jakoubek Downtown San José (my home town) is, well,… a work in progress. Downtown Los Gatos is quaint, but congested and overpriced. Downtown Campbell is a comfortable place to meet a friend for lunch or dinner or to enjoy an ice cream at the Campbell Creamery. Downtown…

A Shakespearean Sonnet The world is not the place it used to be.I guess this could be said in every age. Corruption, violence, all too much to see.With passions high, so many turn to rage. With no commitment to the common good,injustice can be seen most everywhere. If leaders simply did the things they should,they’d…

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” Frank Lloyd Wright Life is not without its pains and challenges. We are all confronted with experiences, situations, and individuals who make life difficult for us. Despite this reality, life is good — or, at least, it can be, if we allow it to be. I recently turned 72.…

“The hero is the man  who lets no obstacle  prevent him from  pursuing the values  he has chosen.”   Andrew Bernstein It was the late 1960s. I was at home one night when my Dad’s fire department radio, which we kept on 24/7 in the kitchen, announced that there was a “working fire” at the corner…

“San Francisco itselfis art… every block  is a short story,  every hill a novel.”  William Saroyan One of my favorite quotes, often attributed to Mark Twain, tells us, “A person who does not read has no advantage over one who cannot read.” Although there is no solid evidence to support that Twain ever said this,…

These words by C.S. Lewis, from his book Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, remind us that life must be lived one day at a time. We cannot embrace today’s challenges with yesterday’s faith. Each sunrise offers us an opportunity to consciously choose to trust God in that new day.  Humans, however, seem to have…

“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, ‘It might have been.’” Kurt Vonnegut Given the reality that I am now retired and 72 years of age, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to know that I occasionally reflect back on what might have been in my life. I do so not with regret, but…

“Character is what you do when no one is looking.” Coach John Wooden I recently heard about an activity in which participants of a group discussion were invited to write a list of people they admired. These people could be family members, friends, coworkers, celebrities, professional athletes, or anyone else who inspired them. The list was to be written…

“We are… S.I.”Vince Tringali It was the fall of 1968. In the previous academic year, Saint Ignatius High School had joined the West Catholic Athletic League after years of competing in San Francisco’s Academic Athletic Association. Pundits had predicted that it would take S.I. several years to be competitive in the WCAL, as the level…