A Beacon of Light

“Kindness and courtesy are at the root of a positive customer service experience.” Shep Hyken I heard the name Gary Ward long before I met him. He was the United Parcel Service (UPS) driver who, for many years, delivered packages to my mother’s home on 38th Avenue in San Francisco. Mom would often speak fondly of him, sharing…

“Almost everything  will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” Anne Lamott I published my first book, A Moment’s Pause for Gratitude, in October 2017. Since that time, I have come to the realization that, while such a pause in our day has tremendous value, there are other reason for us to…

“This Christmas, let kindness be your guiding light.” Joyce Meyer It’s a choice. Despite the hectic pace and high-energy atmosphere of the world around us in the days leading up to Christmas, we do have the option to intentionally choose serenity over chaos. It may not be easy, but it is most definitely an option for us. Christmas…

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”William Arthur Ward I met two young men this afternoon at Java Beach Café on Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco. One of them was sporting a Saint Ignatius Rowing Club t-shirt. The two Saint Ignatius College Preparatory seniors were sitting at a table discussing…

“One of the great things about travel is that you find out how many good, kind people there are.”  Edith Wharton I’m sort of an extrovert. Well, to be more accurate, I can be an off-the-chart extrovert in some situations. I am energized by meeting people. For some strange reason, I am quite comfortable striking up a conversation…

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” Mark Twain As the clock wound down on 2025, we knew it was now or never — a 50th Anniversary trip to Nassau, in The Bahamas. Dan Pasini and I taught at Saint…

“No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.”  Robert Southey My travels around the world, limited though they may have been, have blessed me with the opportunity to meet and get to know many people. Most would best be described as…

“Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.” Ralph Waldo Emerson On June 4, 1958, I celebrated my fourth birthday. I have no recollection of this day, nor of any celebration which might have been held. There is no doubt in my mind that my parents acknowledged my fourth birthday in some way. I just don’t remember anything about it.…

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend some time in the third-grade classroom of Mrs. Diana Clarke at Woodcock Primary School in Nassau last Wednesday. I read my book, Cherries in the Summer, to them, and gave one away to the only student in the classroom to share my birthday month of…