We’re nearing Christmas. It is a time of great joy. And, of course it has its own stresses. Over the years, I’ve made efforts to remember and somehow reflect on the magic of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It helps to re-center the joy of the season. So, I’ll share some thoughts for us in this Christmas of 2019. Everyone has value. We are all children of God. There is magic in seeing life as a child. Our actions affect others. We can transform ourselves in helping and loving others. We all probably have a little Scrooge in us. We can do better. We can have joy. We can share. And, finally in the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us, everyone.” Merry Christmas. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/w[...]

We suppose that your day began like many others. It would become a day that ended with the dreaded radio call "officer down." Tara O'Sullivan, today a community is in mourning for you - for your ultimate sacrifice. We're at a loss for words. Some of us will say a prayer. Others observe a moment of silence. Some will think how much we take for granted those who protect us each day. Those whose loss we mourn. Those whose work we honor. We will grieve for you - for your family. We think of you. Your youth. Your energy. Your commitment. Your brief life. Tara, we hardly knew ye. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx5d5J48S00[/embed][...]

This weekend I was a presenter at San Francisco Assessor Carmen Chu’s Family Wealth Workshop. The title of my presentation was Protecting Against Elder Financial Abuse. I was able to share stories with the community and they in turn shared stories with me. I find this the most gratifying part of these events. One particular story touched my heart. Details of the story have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved. I hope that the spirit of the story stays intact in my telling. I’ll call him Sam. He is approaching 80. He is retired. He is widowed. He has no children. Other members of his family are also elderly. He shares with me his fear – a fear that he cannot shake. While he has financial assets his ties to his lo[...]

We take our safety for granted – at home, at leisure and in the workplace. We shouldn’t. There are men and women sworn to protect us – everyday they go to work knowing that they are at risk – and knowing better than others of the sacrifices that their own brothers and sisters in law enforcement make each day. Yesterday our community lost one of its sworn protectors – a young man, recently married, strong in spirit and unwavering in commitment. Deputy Mark Stasyuk, just 27, serving the people of Sacramento in its Rancho Cordova community was struck down by a killer’s bullet. Our governor has ordered our Capitol flags to fly at half-staff in the Deputy’s honor. It seems normal that we go about our everyday lives without[...]

San Francisco is a city close to the heart of many.  It draws more than 3 million visitors a year and is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is also the namesake of Francis of Assisi – Saint Francis. Since today, October 4th – is his feast day – a story about him is entirely appropriate. I think that I’m drawn to stories about wolves. I’m sure that my first impressions come from the appearances of the Big Bad Wolf to Little Red Riding Hood as well as the menacing wolf well-portrayed in Walt Disney’s Three Little Pigs. It’s a fairly good guess that most baby boomers know the words and cadence of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” Now I recently wrote and published a book titled The Wolf at the Door: [...]

We’re in the first days of a Sacramento summer. It’s hot – it’s always hot. Summertime is a time for family – for vacations – and for memories. Speaking of memories – it’s been 50 years – 50 years since the summer of 1966. That summer – its music and its cars was a big summer for baby boomers. Let’s look back. The songs of 1966 evoke rich memories of our adolescence. We had transistor radios that seemed to accompany us everywhere. New songs got our attention – and if we liked them we wanted to hear them again on the radio. There were only a few rock stations in Sacramento – KROY and KXOA – and while we might have had particular loyalties to one station or another such loyalties didn’t prevent us from scannin[...]