January 19, 2025

What’s the best way to stay encouraged as a writer? While books and podcasts are nice, the #1 way is being a part of a writing community. Sounds cliche, but it’s true. When I first started writing novels, I had zero writing friends. Zilch. I knew that had to change. So almost two years ago, on a cold February afternoon, I launched a monthly writing group sponsored by the Williamsburg library. Around 120 are on the rolls, and about 35 show up each month. But the best part? I’ve now got lots of writing friends. A whole roomful. When you need encouragement, you shouldn’t wait for it. Just make it.

Brian Forrester
January 18, 2025

God, I hate goodbyes. Even when I know they’re for the good. Hate em, hate em, hate em. Especially at this stage of our parenting. Today, Jake and Sam left for school, the last kids remaining from Christmas break. When the kids drive away, a silence always falls. The house goes into winter. And I start to feel the chilly air of getting older, the reality that I’m not needed as much. Makes me long for the next HELLO! God, I hate goodbyes.

Brian Forrester
January 17, 2025

I have a few sacred spaces. One of them is surprising: the Costco food court. Our family ate there A LOT over the years. Probably hundreds of pizzas and thousands of drink refills. And it still looks pretty much the same. Tonight, Jess and I ate there with Jake while getting him groceries to take back to JMU. Sitting at one of those familiar tables where the seven of us often dined, I thought of our kids now in different cities, spread out over the miles. And I longed again for those together times. Longed for the years that slipped away like sand. Because, really, what makes a place sacred other than time spent there with those you love. To me, Costco is way more than a pizza slice or a $1.50 hot dog combo. It’s long-ago memories, silly conversations, laughter in the wind. And yes, pizza. Ah, life’s sacred spaces.

Brian Forrester
January 17, 2025

I pulled something out of the corner of our bedroom closet. An item I had forgotten about it. The thought hit me… this could go perfect in my work office. Took it with me, unpacked the bag, and set it up before anyone else showed up. Sent a picture to Jess to make sure it didn’t look stupid or too over-the-top. What was it? The roll-out 8-ft high banner for my first book, The Jungle Within. Better out than in, I’ve heard it said. Welcome to the jungle.

Brian Forrester
January 16, 2025

Every morning for the last five months, with rarely missing, I’ve done a simple exercise routine: 60 pushups and a five-set series of ab crunches. Sometimes I repeat it at night. It’s not much, but after staying consistent with it, I can see the results. Faithfulness in the small things is often more important than a little-used gym membership. As Gretchen Rubin says, “The twenty-minute walk you take is so much better for you than the three-mile run you never do.”

Brian Forrester