A Beacon of Light

“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…

It’s been almost twenty years since the movie The Bucket List hit the silver screen. After watching the film, I took some time to make my own bucket list — things I wanted to accomplish before my death. The #1 item on my list at that time was to write and publish a book. Ten…

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet…” Kahlil Gibran This quote, from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, may contain a valuable pearl of wisdom. How wonderful it is, for some folks, to walk through a forest, along a beach, or across a meadow with no shoes on their feet. I’m told that it is…