Remembering Ryan Kenneth Brown

It's a cold, snowy, lazy day here in Nashville, and as I sit in my recliner, listening to the A River Runs Through It soundtrack, putting the final touches on my sermon for tomorrow, my mind drifts to memories of my roommate from freshman year at, then, Northeast Missouri State University. His name was Ryan Kenneth Brown, or "Hottie Brown" as the ladies liked to call him. He had long, wavy, brown hair to match my long, wavy, blonde hair. Ryan was one of those people who lit up a room as soon as he walked in. He had a great love for nature and was more at home riding his bike or swimming at the state park outside of Kirksville than he was in a dorm room or classroom. When he would read something fascinating about ants or wolves, or whatever, he would interrupt me and excitedly tell me about it. He wasn't so sure that the advances of modernity were all that great, even medicine. He wondered aloud whether any of it really made our lives better. Anyway, there were many days that first year at Northeast, soon to be Truman, when we would sit in our room, watching the snow fall, and listen to the soundtracks from A River Runs Through It, Glory, and other CDs of soothing music. Those are still my default study CDs. For a brief moment there, on this cold, snowy, lazy day, I was taken back to 305 Centennial Hall with Ryan Brown. Good memories of a good friend.