A Beacon of Light

“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…

“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” Edwin Markham In the early spring of 1979, my final quarter of classes at Santa Clara University, I wrote a letter to Mr. Lou Adderley, the principal at Saint Augustine’s College here in Nassau, letting him know that I would be graduating in June and would like to return to teach…

“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”  Gandhi When two adult natives of San Francisco meet, it doesn’t take long before one of them asks “the question.” It’s a very San Francisco question: “So where’d you go to school?” There is no doubt in the mind of either of them…

Reflection Question of the Day for November 30:  “As you reflect back on this month of November, for what experiences, opportunities, or events are you most grateful?” Excerpt from:  A Focus on GratitudeKevin Carroll(Balboa Press, 2024)

Reflection Question of the Day for November 29:  “As you reflect back on this month of November, for whom are you most grateful? What is it about this person that creates such a strong sense of gratitude in your heart?” Excerpt from:  A Focus on GratitudeKevin Carroll(Balboa Press, 2024)