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11/03/2026

Bridges of Light: The Quiet Importance of Showing Up

Today, I am setting aside both my real estate work and my television hosting work to serve as a judge of elections. Even as I stay busy with my real estate business and plan my next segment of ADTV Selling Pittsburgh, I believe this is a day worth setting aside. This will be my third year serving in this role, and each time I take on this responsibility, I am reminded of why I continue to volunteer. I am fortunate to have plenty to keep me busy professionally, so stepping away for the day does require putting other things on hold. But it is a small sacrifice, and one I am happy to make.

It is not a role that is likely to change the outcome of an election. I won't determine who wins or loses, and that isn't the point. My role is much simpler, and in its own way, just as important: to help ensure that every person who walks through those doors has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. There is something meaningful about being part of that process. It is a long day, there are details to attend to, questions to answer, and responsibilities that require patience and care. Much of it is ordinary, behind-the-scenes work. But perhaps that is what service often looks like. It isn't always grand or visible. Sometimes it is simply showing up, doing the job, and understanding that what you are doing matters to someone else.

We can sometimes take the right to vote for granted. It is easy to think of it as something that has always been there, something that simply comes with being an American. But it hasn't always been available to everyone, and it certainly didn't come without struggle. Women and people of color fought, sacrificed, and in many cases gave their lives for the opportunity to have a voice in the decisions that shape their lives and their country. That history deserves more than a passing acknowledgment. It deserves our appreciation, and perhaps even more importantly, our participation.

I don't see serving as a judge of elections as a political act. I see it as an act of citizenship. It is a small way of contributing to something larger than myself. A way of helping preserve a process that belongs to all of us, regardless of our backgrounds, beliefs, or choices at the ballot box.

We don't always have to do something extraordinary to make a contribution. Sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do is give our time, take our responsibilities seriously, and help make it possible for others to do something that matters to them.

So today, I will show up again. Not because I expect to change an election, but because I believe in the importance of making sure everyone has the opportunity to take part in one. And I think that's reason enough.

Now it's your turn. If you haven't already done so, go vote! Our ability to keep this process strong and meaningful depends on each of us taking part. Your voice matters, and participation is what keeps our democracy working.

And so it is.

11/02/2026

Bridges of Light: If Only

Some mornings, I sit with my coffee and mentally organize all the things other people need to do so I can have a better day. At home, it might be something I have asked Chris to take care of. In real estate, it might be a response I am waiting for or someone doing what they said they would do. Before I have finished my first cup, I have assigned responsibility for my peace of mind to several people who have no idea they are holding it.

If only they would listen. Follow through. Recognize how much I am juggling. Then I could relax. Be more patient. More at peace. Apparently, I am ready to become the best version of myself as soon as everyone else gets their act together.

There is something remarkably convenient about that arrangement. It allows me to see exactly what needs to change while excusing myself from having to change anything. And when I add a little spiritual language, I can make the whole thing sound rather enlightened. I am praying about it. Waiting for guidance. Trusting the process. All worthwhile practices... unless I am using them to postpone something I already know I need to do.

I wonder how often I have asked the Great Architect to change a situation because I was unwilling to have the conversation, establish the boundary, or release the expectation. How often have I prayed for peace while continuing to rehearse my grievances? I can build a compelling case for why I am frustrated. But winning that argument in my head rarely changes anything about my day.

This does not mean giving endlessly or letting people off the hook. Their responsibilities remain theirs. Mine include being clear about what I need, deciding what I am willing to accept, and following through when something needs to change. Sometimes I have more control over those choices than I care to admit.
Perhaps that is where the spiritual work becomes most demanding. I can leave a quiet moment of prayer feeling loving, patient, and wise. Then the phone rings. The email arrives. Something at home is still undone. And there I am, with an opportunity to practice everything I believe.

How many of us are waiting for someone else to change before we give ourselves permission to live differently? Our expectations may be reasonable. Our disappointment may be justified. But while we wait, we can lose sight of the choices that still belong to us: the conversation we can initiate, the boundary we can establish, the resentment we can stop feeding.

There is freedom in recognizing that someone can disappoint us without determining who we become. We can hold them accountable and still move forward. We can want more from a relationship, or a situation, without putting our lives on hold until we get it.

The life available to us deserves more than an “if only.” And every day we spend waiting for someone else to change is a day we could have spent becoming.

And so it is.

11/01/2026

Join me today anytime between 12:00 - 2:00 for an Open House at my Shadyside listing. This is quite an amazing property and the price was recently adjusted making it a killer deal for residents or investors.

10/30/2026

Bridges of Light: The Anatomy of Disappointment

Last night, I was ten years old again. And all it took was a hockey game. My beloved Pittsburgh Penguins were trailing 2–1 heading into the third period. We tied it up, and then, with just 22 seconds remaining, we took the lead. Victory was ours! Or so I thought. With seven-tenths of a second left on the clock, the opposing team scored, sending the game into overtime, where we ultimately lost.mThere I sat, surrounded by thousands of equally stunned fans, in absolute disbelief. Seriously? SEVEN-TENTHS OF A SECOND? How does that even happen?

Now, in retrospect, we probably didn't deserve to win. Our puck handling had been sloppy for much of the game. But that's not the point. Somewhere between taking the lead and hearing that final buzzer, I had decided how the story was supposed to end. And when reality refused to cooperate, I was disappointed. Which got me thinking about the anatomy of disappointment.

What if disappointment has less to do with what happens in our lives and more to do with our attachment to what we think SHOULD happen? We create expectations, become emotionally invested in particular outcomes, and then act surprised when the universe doesn't follow our script. And the tighter our grip on those expectations, the greater our disappointment when life unfolds differently. Here's what fascinates me. I KNOW this. I've written about it. I've spent years learning to distinguish between being invested in something and being attached to the outcome. Investment allows us to participate fully and passionately in life. Attachment demands a particular result. Intellectually, I understand the difference. Apparently, my ten-year-old self still has some catching up to do.

And therein lies a much deeper lesson. Knowing something and actually living it are two very different things. We can spend a lifetime developing wisdom, only to discover that our emotional reactions haven't quite caught up with our intellectual understanding. Perhaps personal growth isn't about reaching some magical state where disappointment no longer exists. Perhaps it's about recognizing when we've surrendered our peace to something completely beyond our control.

Think about how often we do this. In our relationships, our careers, our dreams, and our expectations of other people. We convince ourselves that if we just try hard enough, love deeply enough, or want something badly enough, we can somehow influence the outcome. And when things don't go our way, we suffer. Not necessarily because of what happened, but because we cannot reconcile what happened with what we believed SHOULD have happened.

And here's where freedom enters the picture. Letting go doesn't mean caring less. It means releasing the illusion that caring gives us control. It means allowing ourselves to be fully invested in life's experiences without making our happiness contingent upon how they turn out. Truth be told, win or lose, I love my Penguins. Last night's game was absolutely thrilling. So why would I allow seven-tenths of a second to diminish the joy of the entire experience?

Maybe the real measure of our growth isn't whether we experience disappointment, but how quickly we recognize the attachment behind it and choose to release it. Because the moment we stop insisting that life unfold according to our expectations, we free ourselves to experience it as it actually is. And perhaps that's the greatest victory of all. Not getting what we want, but discovering that our happiness was never dependent upon getting it in the first place.

And so it is.

10/29/2026

Bridges of Light: The Art of Becoming

Have you ever stopped to ponder what the best version of you would look like? Not the version that others expect you to be, or even the version you have grown comfortable being, but the fullest expression of who you are capable of becoming? And here's an even more provocative question... What if that version of you already exists, and the only thing standing in the way is you?

I find myself wrestling with this question whenever I recognize that I am not living up to my own potential. It might be my health, my diet and exercise, my professional life, my emotional landscape, my spiritual journey, or my relationships. Whatever the area, I occasionally find myself wondering what life might look like if I were truly operating at my very best. But lately, I've been wondering whether becoming the best version of myself is less about adding something new and more about letting go of everything that no longer serves me.

Think about that for a moment. How much of who we believe ourselves to be is actually the product of choices we have consciously made? And how much is the accumulation of other people's expectations, our own fears, outdated beliefs, and compromises we made along the way? We become so attached to the stories we tell ourselves about who we are that we rarely stop to question whether those stories are even true.

The reality is that we are all in the process of becoming. But here's the rub... Not all becoming is growth. We can become more fearful, more cynical, more complacent, and more disconnected from the magnificent beings we were created to be. And perhaps most troubling of all, we can become so comfortable with our limitations that we begin to mistake them for our identity.

So here's my challenge. Take a good look at your life. Is the person you are today the person you consciously chose to become? Or have you simply allowed circumstances, habits, and the passage of time to make that decision for you? If there is an area of your life that is not contributing to your happiness, fulfillment, or sense of purpose, perhaps it is time to do something about it. Not tomorrow. Not when circumstances improve. Not when someone else changes. Now. Imagine what operating at your full potential would look like, and then ask yourself what you are willing to change, release, or confront to move closer to that vision.

Because every thought we entertain and every action we take either moves us toward that vision or further away from it. And here's something else worth considering... Every time we choose the comfort of the familiar over the possibility of growth, we are making a decision about who we are becoming. Doing nothing is still a choice. I believe that when we become intentional about our growth, the universe responds. People appear, opportunities emerge, and circumstances align in ways we might never have anticipated. The Great Architect has a remarkable way of illuminating the path, but we still have to be willing to walk it. And sometimes that means leaving behind a version of ourselves that we have spent a lifetime constructing.

Of course, none of us walks this path alone. Just as others are here to help illuminate our way, we have a responsibility to shine a little light for those traveling alongside us. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can offer another human being is to help them see possibilities within themselves that they have long since forgotten.

And when you wander off the path, as we all inevitably do, remember that becoming does not require perfection. It requires awareness, intention, and the courage to begin again.

But here is what I most want you to remember. You are not a flawed creation in need of repair. You are a precious child of our most high God, already worthy of all the love in the universe. Your worthiness was never in question.

Perhaps the art of becoming isn't about creating a better version of ourselves at all. Perhaps it is about having the courage to strip away everything that prevents us from being who we were created to be.

And so it is.

10/28/2026

Bridges of Light: The Influencers

I had the strangest thought pop into my head the other day. I wonder how many followers Jesus would have had on Instagram? Now, before anyone starts thinking I've suddenly decided to become a religious commentator, let me assure you that isn't where I'm going with this. But the question did get me thinking about this rather peculiar world of influencers in which we find ourselves living.

You see, I'm a huge hockey fan. And there are a few players I simply can't get enough of. I love watching them play, learning about their lives, and getting little glimpses into who they are when they're not on the ice. Recently, one of my favorites was promoting his own blend of coffee, and I immediately wanted to try it. Not because I knew anything about the coffee. Not because I needed another bag of coffee. But because someone I admired was associated with it. And just like that, I had been influenced.

Which brings me back to Jesus and his Instagram account. We live in a world where influence is increasingly measured in numbers. How many followers do you have? How many likes did you get? How many people shared your latest post? But I started wondering whether having followers and actually influencing people are two very different things.

Think about it. Jesus began with a handful of followers, and more than two thousand years later, billions of people identify with his teachings. But here's the question that really intrigued me. If Jesus were walking among us today, preaching love, compassion, forgiveness, welcoming strangers, and caring for those society has pushed aside, how many of the people who claim to follow him would actually embrace his message? And how many would dismiss him as being too woke? Now there's a thought worth sitting with.

And before anyone thinks I'm picking on religion, let me return to something considerably less consequential. My beloved Pittsburgh Penguins. I follow them religiously. And if you spend any time reading the online commentary, you might conclude that Pittsburgh has several thousand unemployed NHL coaches who somehow know more about hockey than the people actually playing and managing the game. Every decision is questioned. Every mistake dissected. Every loss an opportunity to assign blame. And sometimes I wonder whether these folks actually enjoy following the team or simply enjoy having something to criticize.

But perhaps that's part of the larger problem. We've become a culture of spectators, commentators, and critics. We follow people, institutions, and ideas, but increasingly from the comfortable distance of our own keyboards, where passing judgment requires considerably less effort than actually participating. And I wonder whether we've confused following with believing, and believing with doing. Because following someone doesn't necessarily mean we're allowing ourselves to be influenced by them. Sometimes it simply means we're watching, waiting for an opportunity to applaud or criticize, depending on whether what we're seeing aligns with what we already believe.

So perhaps the question isn't how many followers we have, or even how many people we follow. Perhaps the more meaningful question is whether the people and ideas we choose to follow are actually helping us become better human beings.
And equally important, what kind of influence are we having on those who choose to follow us?

I don't know how many Instagram followers Jesus would have today. But I suspect he'd be considerably more interested in what we were doing with his message than whether we remembered to hit the LIKE button.

And as for that hockey player's coffee? I'm still thinking about ordering a bag.

And so it is.

10/28/2026

What an amazing platform for showcasing properties, culture and lifestyle here in the city we call home.

10/27/2026

Bridges of Light: In This Moment, I Choose Love

Ain't it grand to have someone in your life who inspires you to become more than the current expression of who you are? Someone who challenges you to think enormous thoughts about life, the magnificence of the human experience, and the extraordinary possibilities that exist within each of us? Someone who reminds you that perhaps our greatest assignment here on this planet is to master love, in all its various forms and expressions, and to open ourselves fully to both loving and being loved?

I have long been fascinated by the possibility that we might someday arrive at a state of being where all we know, all we do, and all we are is love. Imagine that for a moment. A life in which love isn't simply something we experience, but the very essence of who we are.

Of course, we are spiritual beings having a human experience, and being human is no small undertaking! We experience the entire spectrum of emotions, from unbridled joy to profound sorrow, from exhilarating anticipation to paralyzing fear. And while we tend to label some emotions positive and others negative, they are all part of the magnificent complexity of being human.

But here's the challenge. Love and fear coexist within us, and far more often than we care to admit, we allow fear to take the wheel. Fear of rejection, failure, loss, or simply not being enough. Sometimes fear arrives with a thunderous roar, and other times it disguises itself as anger, resentment, judgment, or the need to control.

But the presence of fear does not require the absence of love. In fact, I would suggest that the moments when fear makes its presence known are precisely the moments when we most need to open the gates of love.

Many years ago, I learned a simple but powerful practice from one of my spiritual teachers, Emmanuel. Whenever I recognize that fear has begun to take hold, I stop, set a timer for five minutes, focus on my breathing, and slowly repeat a simple affirmation: "In this moment, I choose love." And if, after five minutes, I am still anxious, angry, or afraid, I simply reset the timer and begin again.

What I appreciate most about this practice is that it doesn't ask me to pretend fear doesn't exist. It simply reminds me that while I may not always control what I feel, I can choose how I respond. And perhaps that is what mastering love is really about. Not eliminating fear, but refusing to let it determine who we become.

Just for today, remember that mastering love isn't as simple as flipping a switch. Our emotions deserve to be acknowledged and experienced, not suppressed or ignored. Allow them to pass through like a brief rain shower, knowing that even the darkest clouds eventually give way to light. And when fear comes knocking, remember that you have a choice.

In this moment, I choose love.

Above all else, remember that you are a precious ray of light, worthy of all the love in the Universe. Not because of what you have accomplished or who you have become, but simply because you are.

And so it is.

10/26/2026

Bridges of Light: The Return Revisited

Many years ago, I wrote a Daily Inspiration entitled The Return. I had been sitting with my morning coffee, contemplating the extraordinary blessings in my life, when I became aware of a peculiar feeling that something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It wasn't something material, nor was it something another person could provide. It was an emptiness I couldn't explain. And then it occurred to me that perhaps the missing piece wasn't something I needed to receive, but something I needed to give. I had somehow forgotten that I was meant to be a conduit of God's love, allowing that love to flow through me and into the world. The moment I recognized that, something shifted. The emptiness began to make sense.
Funny how life has a way of bringing us back to lessons we thought we had already learned.

For years, writing my Daily Inspirations, and eventually my Bridges of Light, has been one of the most meaningful spiritual practices in my life. What began as an opportunity to share a thought or an observation became something far more significant. It became a daily conversation with the Divine. A moment of intentional connection with the Great Architect of the Universe. I have often said that I don't necessarily know where these writings come from. Sometimes an idea presents itself in the most unexpected way. Other times, I sit quietly with a thought and allow it to unfold. And occasionally, I begin writing about one thing only to discover that the words are taking me somewhere entirely different. I have come to believe that those moments are not accidental. They are moments of connection.

Recently, however, I made the decision to cut back on my writing. What had been a daily practice became something I only did once a week. There were perfectly reasonable explanations. Life is busy. Responsibilities grow. There are people to serve, businesses to build, commitments to honor, and an endless collection of things demanding my attention. And somewhere along the way, I convinced myself that writing once a week would be enough. Perhaps it should have been.

But lately, I have begun to recognize a familiar feeling. Not unhappiness. Not dissatisfaction. Certainly not a lack of gratitude. My life continues to be filled with extraordinary blessings, wonderful opportunities, and more reasons to celebrate than I could possibly count. And yet, something has been missing. When I rediscovered The Return, I realized that I had written about this very feeling years ago. Only this time, the lesson seemed to be asking something different of me.

You see, I don't believe the Great Architect has become any less present in my life. I don't believe that divine inspiration has somehow diminished or that the universe has stopped offering its wisdom. I believe I have simply become less intentional about listening.

There is an enormous difference between believing in the presence of God and making time to experience that presence. We can attend worship, participate in meaningful rituals, offer prayers of gratitude, and surround ourselves with reminders of the sacred. But none of those things automatically creates the kind of connection that comes from deliberately opening ourselves to something greater.

For me, writing has always been one of the ways I open that door. It requires me to pay attention. To notice the extraordinary hiding within the ordinary. To examine my assumptions, challenge my thinking, celebrate my discoveries, and occasionally confront truths I might otherwise prefer to avoid. More importantly, it requires me to be still long enough to listen. And perhaps that is what I have been missing. Not the writing itself, but the sacred space the writing creates.

I don't believe there is anything inherently spiritual about writing every day rather than once a week. The Great Architect doesn't keep attendance, and inspiration certainly doesn't operate on a schedule. But I am beginning to understand that the discipline of showing up matters. Not because God requires it, but because I do. There is something profoundly different about waiting for inspiration to arrive and intentionally creating a space in which inspiration is welcome.

Years ago, I wrote that the emptiness I was experiencing wasn't a void that needed to be filled, but a channel that needed to be opened. Today, I find myself returning to that same realization, with a slightly different understanding. Perhaps the channel was never closed. Perhaps the connection was never broken. Perhaps the Great Architect never stopped speaking. Somewhere along the way, I simply stopped making as much time to listen.

And so, I return. Not out of obligation. Not because I have something particularly profound to say. And certainly not because the world needs another collection of my thoughts. I return because I need the conversation. I return because I recognize that the act of opening myself to inspiration is itself an act of gratitude. And I return because, once again, I have discovered that what I thought was missing was never really gone. It was simply waiting for me to make room for it.

And so it is.

10/25/2026

Three Keller Williams Exclusive agents at a Pens game looks like the best kind of trouble! Amazing night with Teya watching g the Penguins beat the Predators in overtime!

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