A Beacon of Light

“One day if I do go to heaven…I’ll look around and say, ‘It ain’t bad, but it ain’t San Francisco.’” Herb Caen It was a passing comment, but it caught my attention. At yesterday’s lunch at Jack London Square in Oakland, Pat Casserly, one of my St. Gabriel School classmates, made mention of how much I…

“I have learned thatto be with those that I likeis enough.” Walt Whitman On November 11, 2013, seven members of the St. Gabriel School Class of 1968 gathered for an informal lunch at the Beach Chalet Restaurant in The City. I didn’t know what to expect that day, as I had not seen most of my…

“Unless you are a pizza, the answer is yes, I can live without you.”Bill Murray_______________________________________ I wanted to find the best pizza around,since options for excellent pizza abound.I thought I should start in the east — in New York.I ordered a pizza with sausage (from pork). I have to admit it was really quite good.It…

“Blow, blow, thou winter windThou art not so unkind,As man’s ingratitude.”  ~ William Shakespeare It’s been a long time since I’ve quoted my old friend, Bill. He and I became well-acquainted when I studied Renaissance Literature and Shakespeare’s Tragedies at Santa Clara University back in the late 70s. I’ll admit that I was a bit…

“The thing I loved the most…about teaching… is that you can connect with an individual or a groupand see that individual or groupexceed their limits.” Mike KrzyzewskiFormer Duke Men’s Basketball Coach Breaking news? Well, maybe not exactly, but in this world of equality, equity, and political correctness, one might be surprised to hear a retired…

“Eating out of boredomhappens to the best of us…”Kaki Okumura I mentioned at the conclusion of yesterday’s blog post that today I would introduce another word from the Japanese language. This word has a very special place in my heart, because I can relate to it so easily. I’m guessing it will hit home with…

“True hospitality consists ofgiving the best of yourselfto your guests.”Eleanor Roosevelt A little more than seven years ago, I came across an interesting article online. The title was “11 Beautiful Japanese Words That Don’t Exist in English.” It was the subtitle that caught my eye — “Untranslatable words from Japan, the polite and nature-loving country.”…

“My goal is to share good news.I want people to know thathappiness is possible.”Sister Thea Bowman Many people I know are suffering. Some are dealing with potentially life-threatening illnesses. Some are grieving the death of a loved one. A few are struggling with non-life-threatening conditions which leave them dealing with varying degrees of physical pain…

“Find a purpose to serve,not a lifestyle to live.”Criss Jami, Author “Who am I now?” I’m fairly certain this is a common question pondered by retirees who spent thirty to forty years of their life identifying themselves with what they did for a living rather than who they were as individuals. Some seem better equipped…

“Sharing food with another human beingis an intimate act that should notbe indulged in lightly.”~ M.F.K. Fisher I didn’t exactly forget that today is Valentine’s Day. I mean, I knew that yesterday’s date was February 13th. I knew that I would be taking Penny to her preschool class this morning and that she would have…