Writing from the Heart with Brian
Think, Laugh, & Cry Each Day
My father enters the diner. Elton John's song Crocodile Rock fills the restaurant. He sees me in a corner booth and starts to make his way toward where I'm seated. He's careful to let the waitress pass with a tray full of food. He wears a heavy flannel shirt and jeans. The temperature is supposed... Continue Reading →
He was ten years older and stood a foot taller than me. We were both on the quiet side. He had two daughters that were around the age of my two oldest kids. When the kids were restless during church, he and I would both stand in the back entrance-way. We would rock our babies... Continue Reading →
When Pat, a family friend, lost her husband in the mid 1990s, she found herself rudderless. She couldn't get out of bed. She had a tough time moving on from the loss. They had been childhood sweethearts. They had spent a lifetime together and when their kids were finally out of the house and on... Continue Reading →
I moved ahead two small steps. The long line of mourners wormed its way across and then back to the front doors of the church. The line was moving, but progress was slow. Last summer, I stood with fifty to sixty other people in line in an old church. I was at a funeral to... Continue Reading →
Two couples live next door to each on a cul-de-sac on a peaceful suburban street. They're friendly and everyone waves to each other as they come and go. They've each been married for twenty-some years and have two kids, a boy and a girl. One house has a Golden Retriever, the other a Labrador Retriever.... Continue Reading →
My voice croaked. It wasn't a quiet sour-note hidden by the angelic voices of my classmates. No, it was a loud mid-sentence clunker that was there for everyone to hear. I've never had much of a singing voice. My stutter as a kid certainly played a part. I've just never been able to control my... Continue Reading →
(I first ran a version of this piece on Dec. 25, 2015) The song “Mary, Did You Know” ranks as one of my favorite songs of the season. When I heard the song years ago, it inspired me to imagine in my own words what it must have been like to walk in her shoes.... Continue Reading →
My mom never had the chance to go to college. She never took a Psychology class and she never had a chance to sit in on a seminar on “how to win friends and influence others.” She grew up on an Amish farm and was forced to quit school after the eighth grade. Despite her... Continue Reading →
Many people seem on edge lately. They have an impending sense of doom. The election results in the U.S. have some folks worried for the future. For others, the economy; Mother Nature; the crazy spot we find ourselves in today, have all caused uneasiness. I've been thinking about it and I can't change the news.... Continue Reading →
Writing from the Heart with Brian 
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