Writing from the Heart with Brian
Think, Laugh, & Cry Each Day
(A version of this story appeared on The Heart of The Matter on December 15, 2023.) My wife and I rolled over at the same time. Our baby daughter was crying from her room. We were both tired, but I offered to go get her. You would have thought I told my wife that she... Continue Reading →
When my wife left the room for a quick shower, our son's bulldog went from pure bliss to total despair in seconds. I consider myself a decent guy, but in Panzer's eyes, I was worse than nobody—I was Option B. A comedic look at life as the backup human.
From a late-night work project to a handwritten note, the instincts to anticipate what people need didn't start with me. A birthday tribute to the woman who modeled effort and empathy every day.
Crammed in my small plane seat on the way home, the message was short and direct. And yet the finality still hit hard, the words "passed away" gliding in and out of my thoughts like the plane soaring left and right, making its return home.
From Evel Knievel stunt bikes and Pong to life-sized monster trucks, 300-foot roller coasters, and 28 mph e-bikes—a look at why today’s hyper-engineered toys make me drool with pure nostalgia envy.
Watching my father turn rough wood into detailed sculptures with a pocketknife taught me the art of patience. I never mastered his sharp tools, but I found my own chisel in the pen—carving out words to find my voice and build my world.
A simple request from my wife to borrow a flannel shirt sent me down a hallway of memory. Flannel was my father's uniform through every high and low of his life. Looking at his old shirt hanging in my closet reminds me that people are complicated, messy, and full of grace if we choose to see it.
(A version of this story first appeared on June 21, 2023 on The Heart of The Matter.) My sons were both excited, my daughter a bit less, but she was being a good sport. They wanted to see the waterfalls. Our kids were all relatively young and we had billed up the falls and our... Continue Reading →
A heart-stopping moment on a crowded beach taught me about panic, but it took becoming a father twenty-five years later to truly understand the ghosts that haunt our parents—and how quickly routine can turn to chaos.
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