Today, I’m returning to my mom Lucy’s story. In our lastepisode, I shared from her early years growing up in Tennessee, right after World War II, when her family bought a farm and laid down roots.

This time, we’re moving into the 1960s - a decade that wasfull of milestones for her and for the whole family. Lucy went off to college, met my dad, and started her own family. My grandfather, or “Daddy” as Lucy calls him, was serving at Middlebrook Pike Methodist Church, where thecongregation grew and flourished under his leadership. During those same years, he spent summers at Duke University, working toward his Methodist certification. And Lucy’s sister, Emily, graduated from college, married, andbegan raising her family too, starting with a baby girl named Janet.

Along the way, you’ll also meet a few new characters—my dad, Bob, his parents Jack and Herma, and his sister Linda. You’ll hear about new friends who became important in Lucy’s life, the arrival of my sister, and eventually… me!

It was a season of growth, change, and new beginnings—each member of the family stepping into a new chapter. I’ll be reading from Lucy’s own words about this time in her life, sharing her perspective on what it felt like to come of age in such a transformative decade.

So let’s step into Lucy’s world again, and pick up her storyin the 1960s.

There are fewer people in this world more epic than my mom,Lucy. She’s still very much with us, but not able to sit down for an interview. So instead, I get to share her story in another way.

A few years ago, my sister, brother, dad and I pooled our money to buy her a MacBook. And right away, she opened it up and began writing her life story. That felt so true to who she is - curious, reflective, and deeply committed to remembering where she came from.

So in this episode, I’ll be reading excerpts from her story. Think of it as a living archive, a way of bringing her voice, her wisdom, and her memories into this space with us. Along the way, I’ll introduce you to the main characters: her sister Emily, her parents, and the world she grew up in.

Lucy was born during World War II, while her parents weresupporting the war effort in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We’ll begin in 1948, when the family used the money they had earned during the war to purchase a farm.That farm would become the backdrop for so much of her early life - the setting where joy, hardship, and resilience took root.

This is the beginning of Lucy’s story. And maybe, as we go,it will become a thread running through other episodes too. Because the story of one life, especially one lived with courage and devotion, has the power to shape all of ours.

Today’s guest is Brad, a close friend of my brother’s and atrue renaissance man. Brad has a way of noticing the world around him that feels rare — the details, the moods, the little quirks that make life interesting. He loves taking his family on road trips that go off the beaten path, always choosing the scenic, the curious, and the unexpected over the ordinary. My favorite unexpected topic involves a coyote in the freezer.

Brad is also an empath, which means he feels deeply — theenergy of people, the weight of moments, and the joy of connection. It shapes the way he moves through the world and, at times, it challenges him, but it also makes him one of those people who carries both sensitivity and wisdom inequal measure.

He’ll tell you how blessed he feels by his kids, who fillhim with hope for the future. And he reminds us that moments of appreciation, even the smallest ones, can ripple outward — building positive feelings for everyone around us.

This conversation is an invitation into Brad’s way ofseeing: curious, heartful, and full of wonder.