A Beacon of Light

“How wonderful life is, now that you’re in the world.”  Elton John Two years and four days after the birth of our first child, Tom, my wife, Kathy, gave birth to our second son, Steve. Throughout the pregnancy, I had wondered if it would be possible to love another child as much as I loved…

Thomas: “I can’t win.”Tavita: “Then lose. But don’t lose alone, lose with us.”From the movie Next Goal Wins For the past few years, I have enjoyed reading a newsletter written and published by former UCLA and NBA great Kareem Abdul Jabbar. A disciple of the legendary coach John Wooden, Kareem is so much more than…

“Through all of youth, I was looking for you without knowing what I was looking for.”  Benjamin Alire Sáenz  I recall the night vividly. It was well after midnight. I was walking down The Alameda from Santa Clara University, where I had been visiting with friends in one of the dormitories, to the campus of…

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Maya Angelou I was recently asked what advice I would give young teachers today. Having spent more than four decades in education, I guess I’m qualified to respond to such…

“Exceeding expectations is where satisfaction ends and loyalty begins.”  Ron Kaufman It started out as “one of those days.” The cycle selector knob on our washing machine was inoperable this morning. It was stuck on “Drain & Spin.” I needed to do a couple of loads of laundry. The user manual recommended unplugging it for…

“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”  C.S. Lewis I was speaking with a friend the other day when she mentioned that she was looking forward to the start of 2024. She told me that she liked the even-numbered years. I thought about that a bit and realized that I do,…

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”  Eckhart Tolle Today is December 31, 2023 — the last day of yet another year. Not surprisingly, I’m doing what I do pretty much every year on this date. I’m writing a blog post about the calendar year coming…

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”  Confucius Saturday night — the last Saturday night of 2023. What a perfect time for a date night. Kathy and I spent a good part of the evening at Little Lou’s Barbecue on Winchester Boulevard in Campbell. We enjoyed a nice barbecue chicken…

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”  William Arthur Ward Our family celebration of Christmas dinner this year was one of the most memorable of my life. I’d be hard-pressed to pinpoint any one particular reason for this claim, as it wasn’t just one thing that made…

“At Christmas, all roads lead home.”  Marjorie Holmes The leftovers from Christmas dinner have all been put away. The crumpled wrapping paper from the many gifts that were under the tree has been disposed of appropriately. The grandkids are back home and asleep in their own beds. Kathy is, understandably, sound asleep on the couch…