The Story Behind the Song
For Bruce’s 61st birthday in June 2026, I wanted to give him something a little different. After forty-five years together, finding a gift that’s both meaningful and unexpected can be a challenge!
I’ve always believed that some of the best gifts aren’t things we can buy. They’re the memories we preserve and the stories we share.
So I reached out to Bruce’s mother, Linda, with a simple request: tell me what you remember about raising your son.
I wanted to hear about the little boy she knew long before I came into his life. The childhood adventures, the teenage years, the funny moments, and the experiences that helped shape the man I would eventually marry.
There’s something special about hearing someone you love described through another person’s memories. I’ve known Bruce since he was sixteen, but Linda knew him from the very beginning. She remembered a whole chapter of his life that I could only discover through her stories.
As she shared those memories, I began imagining how I could weave them together into a song. Not just a birthday tribute, but a glimpse of Bruce through his mother’s eyes.
That’s how A Mom’s Memories came to life.
What I love most about this song is that it preserves something we can’t recreate: a mother’s recollections of her son growing up. The everyday moments that might seem ordinary at the time, but become priceless as the years go by.
It was my birthday gift to Bruce, but in many ways, it was Linda’s gift, too. She provided the memories. I simply found a way to turn them into music.
And now those stories are something our family can hold on to, share, and pass down to the generations that follow.
Lyrics
Verse 1
Born in Walton County, Florida, in June of sixty-five.
Summer on the breeze, in a simpler place and time.
A big brother by sixteen months, with a little sister by his side.
By the time he started school, he had love on his mind.
“Mama, one day Miss Shepherd will marry me!”
She laughed and said, “We’ll have to wait and see.”
But Mama treasured that sweet boy’s sincerity.
Chorus
Mama said, “Son, you’ve had enough.”
He just grinned and called her bluff.
Fish sticks stacked high on his dinner plate,
Like he had all the room in the world to take.
She said, “You’ll get sick if you eat anymore.”
He looked up laughing like he had before
And said, “Mama, there’s no need to fret—
My legs ain’t even full yet.”
Verse 2
One day he and his buddies made a plan,
Climbed out the classroom window and ran.
Circled ’round the lunchroom, beat the teacher there,
Thinking nobody would notice their little dare.
The principal smiled and let it slide,
But Mom and Dad sat him down that night.
Said, “You might dodge trouble once or twice—
But don’t count on that all your life.”
Chorus
Mama said, “Son, you’ve had enough.”
He just grinned and called her bluff.
Fish sticks stacked high on his dinner plate,
Like he had all the room in the world to take.
She said, “You’ll get sick if you eat anymore.”
He looked up laughing like he had before
And said, “Mama, there’s no need to fret—
My legs ain’t even full yet.”
Verse 3
General came first, a shepherd proud and strong.
We thought we’d saved him, but he didn’t stay for long.
Then Blackie showed up and became his friend,
Stayed beside him year after year ’til the end.
Some bonds never really fade away,
Their memory lingers though they’re gone today.
A boy and his dog on a dirt-road trail,
Making memories that never fail.
Bridge
Summer work with Daddy, hammer in his hand.
Learning how to build a life from a hardworking man.
Came home from the job site with a buzz-cut head.
Mama nearly cried, missing that thick hair instead.
School would start in just a few weeks’ time—
He knew ROTC would approve that Army zero line.
Verse 4
ROTC taught him discipline and pride,
Respect for the flag he still carries inside.
If he sees one fallen, he’ll make it right—
Rain or sunshine, day or night.
For a ribbon in ROTC, so the story goes,
He traded Speech for drills and marching rows.
When his sister found out, Lord, she stormed that door,
Looking for Bruce like never before!
Funny how that prank worked out in the end—
She found a whole new path because of him.
Verse 5
In 1981, Shelley walked into his life,
His junior year he said he’d make her his wife.
Everybody worried, but Mama knew
The kind of man her son would grow into.
Life had other plans along the way—
Daddy got sick and the hard days came.
Bruce and Shelley stood strong through the pain.
They were the rocks that helped the family stand,
With steady hearts and helping hands.
They’ve been married nearly forty-three years,
Still standing strong through laughter and tears.
Final Chorus
Life said, “Son, you’ve had enough,”
But he just smiled and called that bluff.
From fish sticks piled on a hungry plate,
To ROTC pride that still stands straight.
A father in ’85, and now a Grandpa too,
With a life full of love that keeps shining through.
Still looking ahead, no regrets—
‘Cause life’s not full, and neither are his legs yet.
Outro
From a little boy’s dreams to the life he’s led,
The love of family in every thread.
And if you ask what carried him through—
He’d say, “A grateful heart and a laugh or two.”
He always says, half-smiling, half-proud,
He’s waiting for Halley’s Comet to come back around.
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