A Beacon of Light

“The morning, like all San Francisco mornings, promised spring.”  ~ Elizabeth Stark Rarely, in my lifetime, have I had the opportunity to enjoy a San Francisco sunrise. Having lived my first eighteen years in the Sunset District, the sunlight had to clear Mount Davidson before shining down on the west side of The City. Even…

“Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.”  ~ Haruki Murakami Several years ago, I attended a weekend retreat on the topic of Conscious Aging. At the first session on Friday evening, participants were given a sheet of paper with eighty blank squares — eight rows of ten squares each. We…

“A farmer’s market is worth more than everything I’ve written.”  ~ Wendell Berry Kathy and I met up with a friend for an early-morning visit at the Orchard Valley Coffee shop in downtown Campbell this morning. While I frequent the establishment on a regular basis, it was the first time I’d been there on a…

“You may find that making a difference for others makes the biggest difference in you.”  Brian Williams NBC Bay Area news reporter Garvin Thomas is making a difference — a positive difference — in the lives of television viewers throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area. A couple of times each week, Thomas airs an…

“Coffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world.”  Thomas Jefferson I am not a coffee drinker. I grew up in a home where the preferred hot beverage was tea. The only times I can recall coffee brewing in our 38th Avenue home in San Francisco was when my parents had company for dinner and when…

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Kathy and I arrived in Ojai, California in the early evening hours on Wednesday. Kathy, and her sister Clare, are here to attend a conference at the Ojai Retreat. I came along for the ride to be their…

“The greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they’re loved and capable of loving.”  Fred “Mister” Rogers Twenty-one years ago today, the world bid a fond farewell to Fred Rogers, the iconic creator and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He was 74 years old. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a preschool…

“No job is too big, no pup is too small!”  Ryder (Paw Patrol) It’s not the ’50s anymore, that’s for sure. In my early childhood, preschool television programming included such classics as Romper Room, Captain Satellite, and Captain Kangaroo. They were all fairly tame, mildly educational, and captivating for the preschool kids of my generation…

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.”  Richard Bach I was blessed with three siblings — one brother and two sisters. Each of us has experienced a full, productive, and unique life journey. Our interests vary. Our likes and dislikes can…

“Change is inevitable — except from a vending machine.”  Robert C. Gallagher The Oxford Dictionary defines impermanence as “the state or fact of lasting for only a limited period of time.” In an online article published in November 2020, Hal Atwood wrote, “Impermanence is an inescapable, essential fact of life.”  Seneca, a philosopher of ancient…