How do you judge what’s in another person's heart? My son and I were talking with a college representative about my son’s chances of earning a scholarship or grant money for college. The man talked about how tough the fight for scholarship dollars can be. In a nonchalant fashion, he continued, asking if we had an “ounce... Continue Reading →
My neighbors think I’m a vampire and other strange personality traits
I feel the bile first. There’s dread too. The sweaty palms come next. Our daughter works in her college admissions office and one of the admissions counselors asked us recently to attend a local event for accepted students. The counselors and current students would talk about the college. My wife and I were asked to talk about... Continue Reading →
Giving up control of the steering wheel . . . and life
I’m holding onto the shoulder harness above my head with my right hand like my life depended on it. I’m fretting over every slight move of the car; how close we are to the middle of the road; how close we are to the edge of the road; every start and stop. My head is... Continue Reading →
Writing short
You would never know it by reading my writing, but I love short, tight sentences. I’m not a particularly big fan of Stephen King, but I love his often quoted writing advice: “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” A writer’s site that I follow posted this week “six word stories that tell an... Continue Reading →
Finding my faith
I remember the day clearly in my mind. It was a brisk, sunny day. The wind whipped through the light jacket I wore as I walked across the parking lot. I opened my car door and made a mental note to pick up a heavier jacket when I left later that evening for Washington, D.C. Despite the... Continue Reading →
Who needs an automagical button?
An IT consultant was helping a group of my coworkers and rather than giving a deep explanation on how a particular piece of software worked, he joked that it would “automagically” fix the specific issue we were discussing. I’ve never worked in IT, but I’ve heard sales people, consultants and project managers refer to automagical... Continue Reading →
The lessons I’ve learned from ‘opening a vein’
When I first got the idea for this blog and launched this site six months ago, I was looking for a way to release some of my creative energy and to get back into the habit of writing for enjoyment. I think I’ve found my outlet. This blog marks my 52nd post. Over the past... Continue Reading →
On the campaign trail, there’s lies, damn lies, and then Donald Trump-sized lies
My mother was wrong. She taught me that you should always tell the truth and think before you speak. If you didn’t know an answer, you didn’t make one up. And while gossip and rumors are all around us, you should try your best to not repeat outside of the house what you heard, lest... Continue Reading →
That’s not fair!
Life isn’t fair. It’s one of those simple, but enduring lessons that we all have to learn at an early age. Johnny gets two pieces of candy and you only get one. “Aw, hang in there. Next time, you’ll get two.” Next time comes around and the parent, teacher, friend, whomever, forgets to start with... Continue Reading →
Writing from the Heart with Brian 
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