Regina Brett

Hey Mack, I love ‘Gotcha Day’

Two years ago, we picked up an 8-week-old ball of fluff that changed our lives forever. Jan. 23 is “Gotcha Day.” Our three grandkids had wanted a pet and were hoping for a gerbil, until Ainsley, who was 9, said, “I don’t know why we’re talking…

Snap to it NFL – make game safer for players

Football is dangerous. We’ve always known that. We just slip into denial every time we turn on a game to cheer for the Browns, Bills, Bengals or Buckeyes. Quarterback Tom Brady described the game this way: “Playing football for a living was like…

Did you love?

The pressure is on. Or maybe you already blew it. That resolution you made to go vegan or stop gossiping or to start exercising every day. A brand spanking new year can be intimidating. Making a vow for 365 days is a lot to commit to all at once. If…

Let family lights burn brightly this holiday season

What a week of magic and mystery, joy and light: Chanukah. Winter solstice. Christmas. All celebrations of light. We added a fourth to celebrate: Dec. 19. That was the day a door opened, one that keeps opening wider and wider as the years pass. My…

A Hallmark moment: New day for those who are gay

In the end, love won. Love always wins. It might take a long time – and it did – but love always wins. The year I got married, back in 1996, our country slammed the door shut on gay marriage. All the gay people we love and celebrate as family members…

Phone contacts a lifeline to lifetime of connections

It seemed like a simple task: declutter my cellphone. During the commercials of a Hallmark movie, I would simply scroll through my address book and delete any phone numbers no longer needed on my iPhone. You know the kind. Business contacts that long…

Regina to Earth: Clean up after yourselves

If Ted Lasso hasn’t made you fall in love with soccer, the Japanese fans will. They cleaned up on the field, beating Germany 2-1 in a big upset in the World Cup in Qatar. Then, they cleaned up after – delaying their victory parties to fill trash bags…

Be thankful and just say ‘yes’

In the midst of your busy, complicated, messy life, say yes. Say yes to that tug on your heart, that poke at your soul, that spiritual nudge that whispers, “Do it.” I said yes to a simple tug on my heart over 20 years ago, and it set off a chain…

This Thanksgiving do what feels like a ‘get to’ not a ‘have to’

The holidays are fast approaching. Did you order the turkey? Clean the silver? Buy the green beans, canned soup and crunchy onions for the casserole? Decide who is hosting your parents this year? My Thanksgiving is pretty much the same every year:…

With election in rearview mirror, are you a guardrail?

No matter what happened on Election Day, do not lose hope. It would be great if decent, honest, honorable candidates got elected, but chances are good that some bad people got elected. Chances are good that too many voters listened to the lies and…

Kan-Ye West: ‘Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye’

When money talks, antisemitism walks. Too bad it took so long in the case of Kanye West. Or Ye, as the rapper wants to be called. West legally changed his name, saying “I believe ‘Ye’ is the most regularly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible it…

Tricks or treats, I’ll take the sweets

The black mice cutouts are taped to the stairs. The big white hairy spider web is stretched over the TV screen. The sugar cookies might look inedible with those giant M&M eyeballs, piles of orange sprinkles and green gooey icing snot on the nose of…

Can you smell it? It’s October.

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers,” L. M. Montgomery wrote in “Anne of Green Gables.” Me, too. And to live in Ohio in October is breathtaking. Every day, I walk the dog around the nearest lake. I don’t avoid the muddy path or…

Guardians growing up fast. Bring on the Bronx Bombers

The next hurdle standing between Cleveland and the American League Championship Series is our rival in pinstripes. The Yankees won Game 1 Oct. 11, 4-1. Game 2 was scheduled for Oct. 13. You know the team ... our very own personal Voldemort. The team…

Your old clothes can open new doors for someone

The heat is on. Yes, I am a wimp. I admit it. We turned on the furnace last week. Hey, no judging me. The temperature dropped to 52. I hate being cold. My favorite outdoor temperature is 80 degrees. So why don’t I “winter” in Florida? Never, nada, no…

L’Shanah Tova and to a long life

L’Shanah Tova is a beautiful greeting for the Jewish new year. It sounds like a prayer: “May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a sweet new year.” The Book of Life closed on my friend Ed last week. His big, beautiful heart gave out…

Queen Elizabeth II – we will miss you

We almost believed she would never die. She was a rock, an anchor, a beacon through dark times and the most powerful woman in the world for seven decades. Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8. She was 96. Charles will finally become king at age 73. Why…

Love affair with Serena Williams comes to an end

It’s over. Tennis will never be the same. Serena Williams changed the sport forever. She untamed it. She made it wild and ferocious and fierce and fun and fashion fabulous. Who else enters a tennis court wearing a cape? Or rhinestones? Or a cat woman…

Modell in Pro Football Hall of Fame? I’ll pass on that one

Cleveland Browns fans got a breath of fresh air to briefly clear away the stench that is the Deshaun Watson deal. Pop the Champagne. Former team owner Art Modell did not get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Many believe he should never be inducted…

Listen to your life

The black greeting card with the swirling orange balls on the front made me laugh on a day when I felt like crying. It showed the planet Mars spinning out of control across the sky and posed this question: “Is it ever not in retrograde?” I had to…