Writing from the Heart with Brian
Think, Laugh, & Cry Each Day
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.
When I worked as a newspaper reporter, we used to keep a running list of 'rackets' that bugged us. I left the newsroom, but I'm still keeping score. From the guilt-trip of an iPad tip screen to the power of AI, here are the everyday institutions that drive me up a wall.
I wasn't looking for hope, but I found it. I was thinking a couple weekends ago about a new adventure that I've found myself on. I was thinking about both rapid and calm waters. Of course, I was in my own head analyzing every action and inaction a million times over. An AI image of... Continue Reading →
(A version of this story appeared on September 7, 2023 on The Heart of The Matter. ) When I was very young, I would crawl into my mother's lap wearing my onesie pajamas and beg for a glass of milk and for her to read to me. I had a series of favorite books, everything... Continue Reading →
A childhood memory of seeing Star Wars in 1977 serves as a reminder of what the movie theater experience used to be—and why great storytelling will always beat empty Hollywood explosions.
(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 →
Some words have a certain stylish flair. They have pizzazz. You see them and the emotion and action jump off the screen or page. It's like a house that gets refurbished and all of a sudden turns heads for the first time in years or seeing a dry, just-the-facts coworker outside of work and finding... Continue Reading →
We each carry a tote bag, backpack, messenger bag, or briefcase. Little kids have Thomas the Tank Engine ones. There's Hello Kitty ones too. There's a bag for every taste, Nike, North Face, L.L. Bean, and rugged outdoor brands for the real hikers amongst us. You don't have to look far to see the many... Continue Reading →
Last April I was nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. I wrote about it in my post -- Sunshine Blogger Award! Walkin’ on Sunshine! And last week melsar93 from the Next Eleven Years nominated me again. It must be the water. Or maybe the change of seasons. A little bit of sun, some high temperatures,... Continue Reading →
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