Writing from the Heart with Brian
Think, Laugh, & Cry Each Day
Featuring a freezing winter night, an AMC Concord, a Renault Encore that took a permanent French "lie-in," and a 35-mph speeding turtle. A look at the visceral panic of unexpected car trouble, and how a lifetime changes the way we handle the shock.
Walking into a furniture showroom shouldn't feel like a high-stakes aerial dogfight, but tell that to the salespeople locking onto us at 50,000 feet. Here is what happens when an introvert who avoids eye contact and a wife who makes instant best friends brave the retail danger zone.
When our kids were young, my wife and I ran nonstop. In the evening, she packed the lunches for the next day while I supervised bath time and made sure they "cleaned behind their ears." It was a crazy, hectic time. It was only when the last book was read and they were tucked three... Continue Reading →
(A version of this story first appeared on April 5, 2023 on The Heart of The Matter.) I would sit at the small desk, my back hunched over the best I could manage, and I would write out a sentence or two onto the page. I would stop, look at what I had written, and... Continue Reading →
We celebrate Father's Day this Sunday. When I think about the day, more often than not, I get flooded with a surge of memories. It's not just one memory, but a lifetime of them. Most of them are happy. A few are sad. I think of my life as a father, I think of my... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, I found an old reporter's notebook of mine. It's from when I graduated from college and had my first real job working as a reporter for my hometown newspaper. I covered the county commissioners and made daily trips to the courthouse to cover meetings, keep on top of the crime docket... Continue Reading →
I could barely make out my youngest son's voice in the rear seat of the car. I switched off the radio and the air conditioner to hear him better. He couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 years old. It had to be one of the most surreal scenes in my life. In his... Continue Reading →
When my wife pulled up to the driveway the other night, I knew I was fighting an up-hill battle. I knew the brilliant idea floating around in my head was a few fries short of a Happy Meal. A few cards short of a deck. A few bricks short of a load. Let's just say,... Continue Reading →
I reviewed the list of record albums like my life depended on it. I'd put one album on my list and then take two others off. I had been going at it for forty minutes. I had no plans to stop anytime soon. I kept going back and forth. Eagles Live, check. The new band,... Continue Reading →
Writing from the Heart with Brian 
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