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I was in the first year of my newspaper career when the great Southern humorist and writer Lewis Grizzard died. I expect that many fellow Southerners felt like I did that day – like a little piece of the South itself had died.

Grizzard is probably best known for his column that appeared regularly in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He often wrote about everyday life. The way he really connected with readers was by finding a way to laugh at life’s difficulties, often by poking fun at himself.

You never knew what to expect when reading his column. He could make you laugh, get you angry, make you cry, and then leave you with a smile on your face – all in about 500 words.

Earlier this year I had to put down my favorite dog – Sandi – who had been a part of my family for 15 1/2 years. It broke my heart. I thought about writing a column about the experience, but finally decided I didn’t have the talent to adequately express how I felt.

Grizzard could have done it. In fact, the column he wrote about the death of his black lab, Catfish, was so touching that after Grizzard died the AJC published a cartoon of Grizzard walking toward the Pearly Gates with Catfish running out to greet him.

I have a copy of that cartoon framed in my office, but I’ve never found a way to copy Grizzard’s talent. Many years ago I attempted it. I wrote a personal column about once a week for a couple of years. Every third or fourth week I probably wrote something that at least some of my readers found to be worth reading. However, it didn’t take too long to learn that writing a newspaper column about everyday life that people really connect to isn’t easy. It’s hard work and it also takes a special kind of person to be willing to continually “put themselves out there” and share their true feelings with the world.

Grizzard summed up being a columnist as only he could: “Being a newspaper columnist is like being married to a nymphomaniac. It’s great for the first two weeks.”

Grizzard often wrote about his failings in the affairs of the heart. After one divorce he announced: “I don’t think I’ll get married again. Every five years or so, I’ll just find a woman I don’t like and give her a house.”

He also wrote about the physical problems that he had with his heart. In one of the many books he wrote about both types of challenges he faced with his heart – emotional and physical. They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat was originally written in 1982 and sold more than 100,000 copies. New South Books recently republished this book and I highly recommend it. Grizzard shares many humorous stories, from unrequited attempts at love as a teenager to his struggles as a husband, to some truly hilarious tales of heart surgery. If you’ve never read Grizzard, you’re probably skeptical that he could make heart surgery funny, but that’s why you need to read the book. But be warned, as one reviewer wrote, “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll laugh so hard you’ll cry.”

You may even become such a big fan that you’ll drive over to his hometown of Moreland the weekend of Oct. 16-17 for the “Lewis Grizzard Hometown Reunion.” For details dial 404-890-8665.