A Beacon of Light

“All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”  Helen Keller I remember it well — Christmas 2008.  Dad had died, quite unexpectedly, on the last day of July. I had a tough time coping with the reality of his death, and found myself enveloped in a fog of depression which lasted, to some…

“Dessert is not a meal; it’s a moment.”  Anh Luu  During my high school years in San Francisco, there were a number of venue options for gathering with friends after a school dance, a game, a performing arts presentation, or just to get together for the sake of getting together. One of my favorite places…

“Intentions often melt in the face of unexpected opportunity.”  Shirley Temple If you know me, you may or may not be aware that my professional career has been one of responding to unexpected opportunities — St. Augustine’s College (Nassau), Bellarmine College Prep (San José), St. Christopher School & Parish (San José), St. Lawrence Academy and…

“No act of kindness is ever wasted.”  Aesop I had one of those serendipitous moments around noontime yesterday when I happened upon a hidden treasure in Santa Clara. While walking from the classroom where I teach Creative Writing on Tuesday mornings to the main office of the Santa Clara Adult Education Program, I met Jackie…

Author S. K. Logsdon once described biscotti as “an orgasm on a plate.” I would not use such a drastic comparison, but I will agree with the writer that biscotti, when prepared well, is one of the best desserts one can possibly enjoy. I’m not sure anyone makes a better variety of biscotti than Roxanne…

“Acceptance does not imply liking or wanting, nor does it represent giving up, giving in, or resignation. Simply put, acceptance means gently holding whatever arises.”  Jill Stoddard The loss of a child of any age can be, and in most cases probably is, a devastating experience. The anticipated order of operations in life leads us…

“We write to be heard. We write to heal.”  Mitta Xinindlu Prior to the creation of Facebook, a platform called MySpace was the go-to social media site. The concept of social media was relatively new at the time. Xanga preceded MySpace, but back in those days, I had little knowledge of, and absolutely no interest…

“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”  Brené Brown For an alarming number of people, negative self-talk is a formidable obstacle to both success and happiness in life. Such thoughts creep into our consciousness when, instead of focusing on the challenge at hand, we ruminate about past situations which did not go…

“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.”  Kahlil Gibran We all go through them. They can happen in the workplace, in relationships, or in our spiritual life. Moments of emptiness are real; and more common, perhaps, than we’d like to admit. In a world dominated by social media,…

“Dear Santa: Please define ‘naughty.’ Yours truly,…”  Author Unknown The annual time of reckoning is approaching. We all learned, early on in life, that Santa’s generosity at Christmas would be reflective of our behavior throughout the year. Would we get the desired perfect gift or would we find a lump of coal in our Christmas…