A Beacon of Light

“I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.” ~ John Steinbeck These words from American author John Steinbeck can be found in his book, The Winter of Our Discontent, the last novel he published. While a major theme of this work is the effect of societal pressure, this is not what I…

After several years of drought here in California, we are finally getting some rain. In fact, we’re getting quite a bit of rain. This is a good thing… in the long run. For the moment, however, the heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds, have caused a number of floods and mudslides throughout the Bay Area…

We dealt with several years of drought,our lawns all turned to brown.Conserving water was the norm.Couldn’t always flush it down.  We’d prayed for rain for quite some time,but little did we get.For years we went about our days,without us getting wet.  But now, in 2023,our lives are not the same,‘cause someone turned the faucet on.We’re…

“Beware of little expenses;a small leak will sink a great ship.” ~ Benjamin Franklin I stopped at Sprout’s to pick up some bread yesterday. I knew we had lunchmeat at home, but our bread supply was low the last time I checked, so I wanted to be sure I could make a sandwich when I…

I remember the simple song I heard, and occasionally sang, when I was a child: “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…” We don’t hear that song so much anymore — at least not here in California. We’ve been in desperate need of rain for several years now. Local reservoirs dropped to alarmingly low…

As I mention in the introductory words of this page, I have always had a special place in my heart for lighthouses. This led to an interesting situation when I began working at Saint Lawrence Parish in Santa Clara. The office space when I began my work there came unfurnished. I was given a budget…

Yes, a new year is upon us. Like it or not, time marches on. Is this, in itself, a reason to be happy? I know a number of people who, at this very moment, are grieving the loss of a loved one. I know a number of people who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses. I…

Steve Hartman is a broadcast journalist with CBS News. He is, perhaps, best known for his “On the Road (with Steve Hartman)” segments, which feature good people doing good things for others. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Steve is a graduate of St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio. Helping others to see…

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been one month since my last confession. I have been doing, um, some things… with one of the girls in my class which the Bible says I should not be doing.” “Oh, my,” responded Monsignor Connolly. “Johnny McCarthy, I know this is you. Did you do…

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I love rainy days — not the annoying soft drizzle which sprays the earth with a fine mist, but a consistent, prolonged downpour which cleans the air, disinfects the trees, washes the pavement, and nourishes my soul.…