A Beacon of Light

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  • My name is Kevin Carroll. I was born and raised in San Francisco, California, where I attended Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. I am a graduate of both Santa Clara University and the University of San Francisco. Following a 40-year career in teaching and pastoral ministry, I launched a new career as a writer and speaker.

    I live in San José, California. My wife, Kathy, and I have three adult sons and five precious grandchildren. I have much for which to be grateful.

    I can be reached via email at kmc43sjc@gmail.com

    My books are available for purchase online from Amazon. I also have copies of some of these titles at my home for those who would like to buy them directly from me.

    A Moment’s Pause for Gratitude  (2017)

    Cherries in the Summer  (2021)

    The Ambassador of 38th Avenue  (2022)

    Dad: 12 Questions…  (2023)

    A Focus on Gratitude  (2024)

    Through the Lens of Gratitude  (2024)

    A Bahamian Odyssey (2026)

  • Ooops!

    “Proofread carefully 
    to see if you 
    any words out.”
    William Safire

    I should begin with an admission that I am not perfect. I make mistakes in my writing. Most often, a thorough proofreading of what I’ve written enables me to catch mistakes before they are published, but not always. Occasionally, an error goes unnoticed, despite my efforts to avoid them. That’s just a part of life, I guess.

    Generally speaking, I’m a stickler for correct spelling and good grammar. My students through the years were well aware of this. I would like to believe that they are better writers today, in part, due to the effort I put forth to identify and correct their writing mistakes. 

    During the years my three boys were in elementary school, I was astounded at the number of spelling and grammar errors I found in correspondence from their teachers. I was often tempted to correct their mistakes with a red pen and send the paper back to the teacher. I never actually did this. When the boys got to high school, while a number of their instructors sent documents home which had not been adequately (if at all) proofread, I was surprised to see and hear glaring errors in grammar from members of the school administration.

    Even now, during my retirement, I can’t help but notice errors when I see them, and I see them with alarming regularity. A few examples:

    • “Pitch In! Put trash in it’s place.”
    • “No parking. Violators will be towed and find $50.”
    • “Employees must wash hands before living.”
    • “Support your local pubic school.”
    • “Quite please. Exams in progress.”
    • “Please satanize your hands here.”
    • “So fun… They won’t even know their learning.”
    • “Illegally parked cars will be fine.”
    • “Hlep wanted.”
    • “Student drop-off. No stopping.”
    • “Welcome back! Hope you had a good brake.”
    • “Shoplifters will be prostituted.”
    • “Closed due to personal circumcisions.”
    • “Hotel quests only.”
    • “Please pay your parking fee before existing.”

    Ya gotta love this stuff!

  • Epic City Walk

    As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, I went for a walk in San Francisco on Monday. A long walk! It began with breakfast at Java Beach Café at 45th & Sloat. After a hearty bowl of oatmeal with dried cranberries, I ventured the few blocks down to the beach — to the Sunset Dunes Recreation Area, a two-miles stretch of road which used to be known as The Great Highway. The 2-mile stretch of road is now closed to cars and dedicated exclusively to walkers, runners, bikers, skaters, and dog walkers. By the time I began my journey, it was 9:00 and already close to 70º. Due to strong winds (sustained at 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph), the visibility was extraordinary.

    Today’s blog post is a PhotoBlog, supported by as few words as possible. I hope you enjoy it.

    Yes,… 40,000+ steps — 20 miles… in one day. In all, it took ten hours. I returned to my car at 7:00 p.m., exhausted, yet exhilarated. When I went to bed Monday night, I wasn’t sure how I would feel when I woke up on Tuesday morning. After a good 8-hour snooze, however, I woke up feeling surprisingly well, and still quite exhilarated.

    Walking in San Francisco. There’s nothing like it!

  • Yes, Again!

    “Love is the capacity 
    to take care, 
    to protect, and 
    to nourish.”
    Thich Nhat Hanh

    The western side of San Francisco’s Sunset District, from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard, has become a sacred space for me. It’s a place where, as Thich Nhat Hanh suggests in the quote above, I am able to take care of myself, protect my sanity, and nourish my soul.

    There are a few contributing factors which make the neighborhood of my first eighteen years such a special place. 

    First, there are the memories… memories of playing soccer and baseball at South Sunset Playground, attending Saint Gabriel School, riding my bike around the neighborhood, bagging groceries at Fairlane Foods, buying brown lunchbags filled halfway with salted French fries at Freddy’s on Vicente Street, attending classes at Saint Ignatius during my high school years, playing soccer for the San Francisco Vikings Soccer Club, delivering The Shopping News, getting birthday cakes from the Golden Brown Bakery on Lawton Street, playing with friends in the trees along Sunset Boulevard, and so much more. When I walk or drive through the Sunset District today, these memories, and so many more, often come to mind.

    In recent years, I’ve become a regular at Java Beach Café — both of them. The original Java Beach is located at the corner of Judah & LaPlaya, just across the street from Ocean Beach. The other location is at the corner of 45th & Sloat, directly across from the old main entrance to the San Francisco Zoo. Walking into either of these coffee shops is, for me, much like it was for “Norm” walking into the popular Boston bar on the TV sitcom Cheers. I won’t go so far as to say these are places where everybody knows my name. There are plenty of customers at Java Beach who have no idea who I am, but the workers at both locations know me quite well, and in recent years, I’ve gotten to know many of the regular customers and developed a close friendship with the owner, Pat Maguire.  

    I’m writing this article on Monday morning, sitting at a table in the Sloat Java Beach. I drove up from San José to enjoy another spectacular day in The City. It’s unusually windy, but the temperature outside when I arrived at 7:15 was already 65º. It’s going to be a warm one. I’m planning to do a lot of walking — along Sunset Dunes (the old Great Highway) to Golden Gate Park, through the park to Stanyan Street, then… who knows? I have an entire Monday to explore The City. The temperature this afternoon is expected to reach 80º!

    I’ll write the rest of this post when I return home tonight.

    10:00 p.m. Monday ~  It was an amazing day. As I had planned, I walked Sunset Dunes from Sloat to Lincoln Way. Then I worked my way through Golden Gate Park from the Great Highway at the east end of the park at Stanyan Street. Since I was there, I decided to take a stroll through the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, stopping at a few places of interest along the way.

    At that point, I gave serious consideration to taking the N-Judah streetcar back to the beach. Instead, I began my walk back to the west side of The City. When I arrived at Java Beach on Judah a little after 6:00, it was already closed, though some of the regulars were outside with a variety of musical instruments playing songs from the 60s and 70s. After a brief hello, I continued on my way southbound along Sunset Dunes to where my car was parked at 45th & Sloat. In all, it was a ten hour walk! My blog post tomorrow will be a “photo-blog” with pictures I took along the way.

    For now, I just want to rest my body.

  • Tell Them

    “I can live for 
    two months on 
    a good compliment.”  
    Mark Twain

    Do you recall how you felt the last time someone complimented you for something? I’m guessing you felt pretty good. Compliments can do that to us. They offer the same feeling of positivity to the person who gives the compliment.

    There are a variety of ways we can compliment others. Certainly, we can compliment an individual on her/his accomplishments, especially when we know that they put in a tremendous amount of effort to achieve a particular goal. This type of compliment, not surprisingly, can be incredibly motivating.

    Maybe the person didn’t quite achieve the goal they had set for themselves, but we know that they put a solid effort into the project. We can definitely compliment their effort and dedication to the work. When we work at something, even if we fall short of expectations, it’s nice to be recognized for our effort.

    When we identify a particular personal trait in someone, a trait we admire and appreciate in them, we can let them know how we feel. It might be things like kindness, bravery, manners, courage, or just being a good listener. Any of these traits are worthy of a sincere compliment.

    In a world which seems to be so dominated by negativity, I find myself complimenting people for their positivity. Some people, despite the challenges of the world around them, are still able to bring joy, peace, and positivity wherever they go. It’s important to let people know when they have a positive effect on us and on the environment in which they live and work.

    Complimenting someone on their appearance can be a bit risky, as such comments could be perceived by some as flirting. On the other hand, acknowledging an attractive outfit someone is wearing, a hair style that serves them well, or even a perfume scent that catches your attention,… these can all be safely expressed if done with sincerity, appropriateness, and respect.

    Becky Higgins, an avid scrapbooker who helps others to document their life experiences, said, “Part of cultivating a good life is giving compliments to others. Not just thinking them.” This statement resonates with the words of author William Arthur Ward, who wrote, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” 

    As I mentioned, there are myriad ways for us to compliment others. The most basic, perhaps, is identified by painter and writer Walter Inglis Anderson. He said, “The most sincere compliment we can pay is attention.” Powerful words.

    Social worker Hannah Owens made an excellent point when she said, “There’s an emotional reciprocity involved with giving compliments. Seeing someone else happy, especially when you were the one who made them happy, in turn makes you happy. It’s one of the simplest ways to boost someone else’s mood, as well as your own.”

    It’s important for us to remember that one kind word can change someone’s entire day… or life. So just tell them. 

  • Sunday 05/17

  • City Walk


    “San Francisco has 
    only one drawback: 
    ’tis hard to leave.” 
    Rudyard Kipling

    Why would this British author and poet claim that The City is difficult to leave? Perhaps it’s because there is so much more to San Francisco than even natives and locals realize. In June, 2019, retired teacher Bob Siegel created the Crosstown Trail, a 17-mile diagonal route from the old Candlestick Park in the southeast to Land’s End overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the northwest corner of The City. Walkers appreciate the trail because of its stunning beauty and its secret paths connecting diverse neighborhoods. Some have referred to it as the perfect urban hiking adventure.

    “We wanted to showcase another side of The City. We wanted to connect the neighborhoods. We wanted to show that there are a lot of trails you may not know about,” Siegel commented in an interview. He’s absolutely correct. Although I was born and raised in San Francisco, and I’ve explored many areas of The City on my bike and by foot over the years, part of the Crosstown Trail took me to areas in my home town of which I was totally unaware.

    Herbert Mye, best known as the author of his famous, witty quote regarding the appeal of San Francisco, said, “It is a good thing the early settlers landed on the East Coast; if they’d landed in San Francisco first, the rest of the country would still be uninhabited.” I’ve had that thought myself.

    Referring to the feeling of magic the Crosstown Trail offers, one urban hiker mentioned, “You’d be following the turn-by-turn instructions (available online) walking down a street and then a secret passageway would appear, just as promised, as if by magic.” This was my experience yesterday as I ventured out with my longtime friend, Mary, to enjoy the second leg of the trail — from Glen Park BART Station to Forest Hill Station across from Laguna Honda Hospital. 

    We began with a brief visit at the Bello Café on Diamond Street. From there, we followed the Glen Park Greenbelt up Chenery Street to Glen Park Playground. Behind the playground is a trail leading to Glen Canyon, the summer location of Silver Tree Day Camp, where I worked as a junior counselor during my high school years. The trail continues all the way to the back of Glen Canyon and up the hill to Portola Drive. After crossing the street, we continued up Twin Peaks Boulevard to Panorama Drive, which led us to the upper level of the Laguna Honda Trail. We followed the path down the steep hill into a ravine adjacent to Clarendon Avenue. Walking this part of the trail was like walking through Paradise.

    This segment of the Crosstown Trail ends at Laguna Honda Boulevard, the location of Forest Hill Station. By that time, we were ready for lunch, so we walked down to West Portal to enjoy a bite to eat at Original Joe’s at the corner of 15th Avenue and West Portal.

    In all, we logged 7 miles (17,500 steps). The challenge of the day wasn’t so much the distance as the changes in elevation. Climbing up and down the hills put my almost 72-year-old body to the test. I woke up this morning a bit sore, but feeling great about the day.

    I am incredibly grateful for the experience of walking part of the Crosstown Trail. I also appreciate the opportunity to spend some quality time with my friend, Mary. 

    Actor Robert Redford once said this about The City: “San Franciscans are very proud of their city, and they should be. It’s the most beautiful place in the world.”

  • Fun with Words

    “A poet is, before 
    anything else, 
    a person who is 
    passionate in love 
    with language.” 
    W. H. Auden

    I have no recollection of being exposed to poetry during my elementary school years. This is not to say that my class was never introduced to poetry. My lack of memory probably has more to do with my lack of interest in the literary form. My high school years were a different experience.

    Beginning in freshman year, when I had to memorize The Cremation of Sam McGee, by Robert W. Service, my absolute distaste of poetry emerged. While I considered the poem to be quite amusing, the fact that I had to memorize it — all 68 lines! — left a bitter taste in my mouth.

    In future high school English classes, when the need for what we studied was expected to be relevant, we were introduced to the works of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Edgar Allan Poe, Langston Hughes, and e.e. cummings. I should have been impressed with their writings, but I wasn’t. Nor was I enamored with the works of John Keats, T.S. Eliot, or Era Pound. Poetry just wasn’t my thing.

    All this changed when I took a Renaissance Literature course at Santa Clara University. In that class, we studied Shakespeare’s sonnets. I can’t say that I enjoyed the experience, but I endured it. At the conclusion of the unit, the professor, Dr. Diane Dreher, informed us that it was our turn to write a perfect Shakespearean sonnet. We had about a week to complete the assignment.

    Shakespearean sonnets have strict rules. The meter must be iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme must be A-B-A-B, C-D-C-D, E-F-E-F, GG. The first twelve lines are divided into three four-line quatrains. The poem ends with a two-line couplet. And that’s not all.

    The three quatrains must present a dilemma or problem to be solved. The couplet must contain the solution or resolution to that problem. Simple as that, right? I immediately knew that this was one assignment I wasn’t going to complete successfully.

    Almost a full week passed by. On Sunday night at about 10:00, the night before the due date, I sat down with a legal pad and pen to give it a shot. Problem and solution… Okay, should I attend my Renaissance Lit class or should I visit my girlfriend in the SCU dormitory?

    Iambic pentameter… da-DA, da-DA, da-DA, da-DA, da-DA. I repeated this beat in my head over and over. Once I got the rhythm, I started putting words to it: “The time has come to saunter off to class…” Hey, that worked! So I thought about the second line: “…to learn of sonnets, lyric voice, and style.” That worked, too! But now I had to rhyme with “class” and “style.” Line three came to me quickly: “But I could stay and visit with my lass…” Yes! Then this: “…since midterms won’t be here for quite a while.” Quatrain one was finished! It took about five minutes. So I kept going.

    “But what of Pico, Sidney, More, and Donne?
    My mind should thirst to know their wit and ways.
    Yet in my mind, there’s really only one
    Whose beauty sets my loving heart ablaze.”

    I kept writing. The next line is my favorite of the entire sonnet.

    “Should knowledge, more than lust, my passions heed?
    Or is this time I really can afford
    to visit with the one I love and need —
    the one who, for a year now, I’ve adored?”

    Three quatrains in fifteen minutes. I was on a roll. All I needed was the couplet.

    “Although it’s not the way that things should be,
    more happiness my loved one gives to me.”

    That’s it! A perfect Shakespearean sonnet… in twenty minutes! I couldn’t believe it. How did that happen? Where did all those words, with perfect meter and rhyme scheme, come from? It was a moment of awakening for me. I would come to realize that I have a gift for writing poetry.

    I’ve composed dozens of poems through the years on a variety of topics. Most of these have required minimal time and effort. The words just seemed to flow. Did I develop a new-found appreciation for the poets I so despised in my high school years. No, I didn’t. My favorite poet, the one who has most inspired the poems I’ve written through the years, is none other than Shel Silverstein. He made poetry fun, entertaining, approachable, and easily understandable. 

    I will always have a tremendous appreciation for Dr. Dreher at Santa Clara University for challenging me to write my first sonnet. Without that task, I may have never realized this gift with which I’ve been blessed.

  • 5 Simple Words

    “Silent gratitude 
    isn’t very much
    use to anyone.” 
    Gertrude Stein

    I often stand at the checkout counter at the local grocery store watching the courtesy clerk bagging my groceries, a part-time job I had for a while during my high school years. When everything is packed into the brown paper bags and loaded into the shopping cart, I usually say, “Thanks for all you do.” More often than not, those words bring a smile to the courtesy clerk’s face.

    One afternoon in April, I was walking through Saratoga Creek Park in San José. I noticed a crew of young men and women watering the bases of newly-planted trees along the side of the pedestrian pathway. When I approached them, I asked, “Hey, does anyone ever thank you guys for doing this?” They responded with a look of surprise. One of them responded, “Uh,… no.” So I said, “Thanks for all you do,” and went on my way. I hope my comment brightened their day.

    I recently had to file some paperwork at the Santa Clara County Clerk’s Office in downtown San José. It’s one of those places where people who need to file documents have to take a ticket and wait for their number to be called. It’s a slow process, so I was grateful that I was in no hurry. While I was there, I noticed that I didn’t see anyone smiling in the office — not the workers and definitely not those waiting to file their documents. When my number was called, I approached the window and was greeted professionally by a young woman. I asked if her day was going well. She looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “Nobody ever asks me that.” Her response was a warm smile and a positive comment. When my documents had been successfully filed, I said, “Thanks for all you do.” The smile on the clerk’s face said everything. I’m sure she doesn’t hear that very often.

    It’s that easy! Five simple words — words which can transform a person’s day from one of boredom, frustration, or apathy to one of hope and a restored faith in humanity. People appreciate being appreciated. Expressions of gratitude are, sadly, not spoken as often as they could be. Simple spoken words of gratefulness are one way each one of us can contribute to making our world a better place.

    Popular author and speaker, Brené Brown, reminds us that we don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness. Opportunities for happiness are right in front of us throughout the day if we’re paying attention and practicing gratitude.

    Margaret Cousins, a specialist in the theory, principles, and methods of teaching and learning, wrote, “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”

    Give it a try! 

  • Memorable Meals

    “Make each  
    day your  
    masterpiece.”  
    John Wooden

    When I reflect back on my life, I feel blessed to have vivid memories of dozens of wonderful experiences of enjoying breakfast, lunch, or dinner with friends or loved ones. Childhood memories include family dinners at the New Tivoli Restaurant in North Beach, The Spinnaker in Sausalito, the House of Prime Rib, and at Westlake Joe’s. At one of our New Tivoli dinners, my paternal grandmother put grated parmesan cheese into her coffee, believing that it was sugar. The sugar was in an identical container on the table. As kids, my siblings and I got a kick out of that.

    I also have wonderful memories of family dinners at our home on 38th Avenue, at my maternal grandparents’ home in the outer Mission District in The City, and at my cousin Dan’s home in the San Carlos hills.

    Of course, I have countless recollections of family meals shared with Kathy and our three boys, too — from simple meals at home to dining experiences at a variety of local restaurants. Most of these meals bring back wonderful memories.

    There are three specific meals I recall, however, which were memorable for other reasons. If I were asked to prioritize them in order of significance, this would be my list:

    #3 – It was our first night back to our home on Lincoln Street in Santa Clara after the birth of our first son, Tom, in May 1986. So that Kathy and I would not have to prepare a meal, our good friend, Cheryl Anido, prepared a dinner of chicken with chicken flavored rice. Kathy and I have always agreed that it was one of the best meals of our lives. Both the chicken and rice were incredibly flavorful, and to have someone so graciously prepare a meal for us on that special occasion was absolutely delightful and very much appreciated.

    #2 – In the years before I met Kathy, I most always planned my vacation getaways for the first two weeks in August. For the most part, if I didn’t spend the time in the Bahamas, I would enjoy my two-week vacation at South Lake Tahoe. On the drive from San José to the lake, I occasionally stopped at Sierra College in Rocklin, where the San Francisco 49ers pre-season practices were taking place.

    On one of those days, I had the opportunity to say hello to 49ers Defensive Coordinator Bill McPherson at the practice field. I had taught his son, Patrick, at Saint Christopher School in San José. Bill was a graduate of both Bellarmine College Prep and Santa Clara University. On this particular day, the coach invited me to join him for lunch. I graciously accepted, not realizing that I would be going into the cafeteria with the likes of Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, Ronnie Lott, and so many other 49er greats. I got my tray of food and followed Bill over to a table for four. I recognized the other two people sitting at that table, though they didn’t know me. One was Coach George Seifert. The other was former Oakland Raiders football coach and NFL announcer John Madden.

    There we were, just the four of us, enjoying lunch and talking football. Needless to say, I had absolutely nothing to contribute to the conversation, but the coaches were quite hospitable in welcoming me to their table. I was aware that I was in the presence of football greatness.

    #1 – By far, my most memorable experience at a meal took place in the summer of 1974. I was working at Bellarmine College Prep as the liaison between the school and groups renting the facilities, specifically the Bellarmine dormitory. One such group was the Wooden-Sharman Basketball Camp.

    I woke up one morning and, as I did each day, entered the dining hall through the back door into the kitchen. Tom, the chef, would make whatever I wanted for breakfast that day, from pancakes or waffles to omelets with hash browns. On one particular morning, after getting the plate with my breakfast, I walked through the double doors from the kitchen into the dining hall. Normally, the place would be empty at that early hour of the morning. On this day, however, one gentleman was sitting alone at a table enjoying his breakfast. It was the legendary U.C.L.A. men’s basketball coach, John Wooden.

    For a brief moment, I pondered whether I should join him or allow him his privacy. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was the opportunity of a lifetime. I asked if I could join him, and he graciously welcomed me to his table.

    For almost an hour, we talked mostly about basketball, but after a while, I was the beneficiary of Coach Wooden’s love for teaching. He introduced me to his Pyramid of Success, sharing a variety of life lessons that have influenced my life since that day. I realized at that moment that I was in the presence of an amazing human being, so I listened attentively to his words of wisdom.

    I am grateful for all the positive experiences I have enjoyed with others while sharing meals, but that one unexpected breakfast with Coach Wooden will always hold a special place in my heart.

  • Use It or Lose It

    “Keeping up with  
    friends helps with  
    healthy aging.”       
    Jessica Stillman

    This past Sunday afternoon, I spent some time visiting with my new friend, Tony, the 101-year-old Stanford graduate I’d met outside Starbucks a few days earlier. He had mentioned to me that he goes to the coffee shop pretty much every day between 12:30 and 2:00, so I stopped by on Sunday after a delightful Mother’s Day lunch with Kathy and Brendan at the Pruneridge Golf Club. 

    During my conversation with Tony, a gentleman sitting at an adjacent table commented on something he had overheard in our conversation. Before long, Ed had moved from his table to join us at ours. The three of us talked about baseball, communication between women and men, the benefits and pitfalls of new technology, and a number of other topics. Ed shared that he was currently reading a recently-published book: Who Needs Friends, by Andrew McCarthy. Before I had the opportunity to share my thoughts, the conversation topic abruptly changed to something else.

    What I would have mentioned to Tony and Ed is that on my MacBook Pro desktop, I had a file about that very topic which I was planning to use as a resource for a future blog post. Well, today’s post is that post.

    In an October 2025 Inc. newsletter, the author, Jessica Stillman, shared some significant information which I found to be extraordinarily reassuring. Those who know me are aware that I’m a social person. I get energized when I meet new people. I am not particularly fond of large crowds, but I like being around people, even more so when I have the opportunity to engage with them in conversation.

    In her article, Stillman cited the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has tracked the lives of more than 700 participants for the past 88 years. This study revealed that “the biggest predictor of a long, healthy life is not biological. It’s social. The better the quality of your relationships, the more likely you are to age well.”

    This is encouraging news, because while we have no control over our biological makeup, we do have a fair amount of control over our social life.

    In an interview with the Harvard Gazette, Robert Waldinger, the director of the Harvard study, stated, “We think of physical fitness as a practice, as something we do to maintain our bodies. Our social life is a living system, and it needs maintenance, too.”

    So now that we know that keeping up with friends promotes healthy aging, what can we do to take full advantage of this realization? For this, Stillman turned to Harvard-trained social scientist Kasley Killam. She suggests the 5-3-1 rule:

    • Spend time with FIVE different people each week.
    • Nurture THREE close relationships.
    • Aim for ONE hour of social interaction each day.
    (This doesn’t have to be all at once.)

    Killam suggests that a simple telephone conversation can have more of a positive impact than many would suspect. 

    We are social beings. We need each other. We need to prioritize interacting with others. To do so is beneficial for both our physical and emotional well-being. 

    You can check out Kasley Killiam’s TED Talk by clicking here: TED Talk