Writing from the Heart with Brian
Think, Laugh, & Cry Each Day
I knew at an early age that I didn't want to work in the local steel mill, become a farm worker, or enlist in the military — the careers that many of my classmates in my small rural high school chose. They were all fine pursuits, but I figured out that my interests lie elsewhere.... Continue Reading →
In my dream, the ocean waves crash to the shore, sending the white, wispy surf up to our ankles. The sun has come up in the horizon and made it's grand entrance. Several small sandpipers near us greet the day by lining up up on the sand. They seem to be playing chicken with one... Continue Reading →
(A version of this short story ran in July 2016.) John pulled the taxi in front of his parents’ home and turned off the engine. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had had spent the previous three days rehearsing what he was going to say. While he would have liked to delay... Continue Reading →
In a June issue of The New Yorker, writer Molly McCloskey wrote about her relationship with her father, Jack McCloskey, the general manager who helped build and guide the Detroit Pistons to nine straight playoff appearances, five consecutive Eastern Conference Finals and NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. Jack McCloskey passed away in 2017, but was absent for large... Continue Reading →
(A version of this story appeared in June 2016.) I think kids today are missing out. They’re missing out on one of my all-time favorite hobbies. When I was young, my mom kept a large, green shoebox full of family pictures in her bedroom closet. When I was bored or felt blue and needed a... Continue Reading →
I spent ten minutes crying the other night. I was scrolling on my phone mindlessly in the middle of the night, checking out soccer and baseball scores, when I came across video snip-its of military members' returning home to their families. Many of the videos were surprise returns: the young Army private surprising his teacher-mother... Continue Reading →
I have a regret. Oh, it's nothing earth-shattering. It's really kind of silly. If only I had thought about things more when I was a kid in high school or even college, then maybe I would look cooler today in my youngest son's eyes. Here's what I mean. My son and his friends are big... Continue Reading →
(My third and final piece on passing the time in the hospital.) The unicorn stares back at me. The unicorn stands about three feet tall and every kid and kid-at-heart who passes by the hospital gift shop stops to look at it. Oh, it looks friendly enough with pink and white, cotton candy colored fur... Continue Reading →
My wife has become fascinated with a little bird friend that keeps visiting our backyard. The bird comes every morning and evening, perching itself on the far edge of the deck. The little guy peaks into our kitchen window and sings my wife a song. We’re by no means bird people, but my wife thinks... Continue Reading →
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