Love sometimes looks like sacrifice. Sometimes it looks like patience. And sometimes, it looks like a son who chooses to stay.

In this powerful episode of Backstory Sessions: Love Stories, we sit down with author Mark Steven Porro to talk about one of the most profound forms of love there is—the love of a caregiver for a parent. At age 55, Mark stepped away from his independent bachelor life to become a full-time caregiver to his 90-year-old mother, a woman who was sharp-witted, stubborn, funny, and slowly slipping into memory loss.

His memoir, A Cup of Tea on the Commode, captures the raw, real, and unexpectedly humorous moments of that journey. From frustration to tenderness, from exhaustion to grace, Mark shares what it meant to care for the woman who once cared for him—and how the experience transformed him in ways he never expected.

This episode is about devotion. About role reversal. About finding meaning in the hardest seasons. And about the quiet, enduring power of unconditional love.

🎙 Guest: Mark Steven Porro

📖 Author of A Cup of Tea on the Commode

📅 February 21, 2026

Because some love stories aren’t about finding someone new… they’re about honoring the ones who were there from the very beginning.

Backstory Sessions Podcast — Love Stories Edition

Guest: Christopher Wyze | “Her Name In My Song”

What happens when love leaves—but the music stays?

In this heartfelt Valentine’s Love Stories episode of Backstory Sessions, Cat sits down with Christopher Wyze of Christopher Wyze & The Tellers to explore the real story behind his powerful song, “Her Name In My Song.” More than just a breakup anthem, this conversation uncovers the emotional truth behind loving deeply, losing bravely, and transforming heartbreak into art that lives on long after the relationship ends.

Christopher shares what inspired the song, the moment he realized some names never leave you, and how songwriting became both a refuge and a reckoning. Together, Cat and Christopher talk about vulnerability, creative honesty, and the courage it takes to turn private pain into something that helps others heal.

This episode is about more than one song—it’s about the people who shape us, the love stories that never fully end, and the music that keeps their memory alive….but does he reveal her name?

In our Valentine’s Day edition of Backstory Sessions: Love Stories, we sit down with John and Anna, whose journey reminds us that love has no expiration date and no single timeline. Their story is filled with unexpected turns, deep devotion, and the kind of connection that proves it’s never too late for your life to change in the most beautiful way.

You’ll hear how they found each other, what sustained them, and why their love continues to work. It’s honest, raw and a powerful reminder that the greatest stories aren’t written —they’re lived.

Join us for a conversation that will make you smile, reflect, and believe in love all over again.

🎙 Backstory Sessions: Love Stories — Valentine’s Day Edition

Guests: John and Anna

📅 February 14, 2026

Because every love story deserves to be told.

What are the odds that a quick stop at a gas station turns into a lifelong love story? For Jeff and Camille, it was destiny—with a soundtrack by Sting and a little help from the universe.

In this episode, Jeff and Camille share the unforgettable story of how they met during an ordinary moment that became anything but. Bonding instantly over their shared love of Sting, their first date quickly revealed something deeper: a mutual curiosity about the world, bold predictions about the future, and yes… a fascination with aliens. 👽

From cosmic connections to music-fueled romance, this love story proves that sometimes the universe nudges you exactly where you’re meant to be—right next to pump number three.

It’s quirky, heartfelt, and full of wonder. Buckle up for a love story that’s truly out of this world.

February is for love and Gary and Gwyn will make you want a love like theirs.

Some love stories are loud.

Some are dramatic.

And some are quietly powerful.

Gary and Gwyn’s is the kind that grows stronger with time.

In this episode, they share their journey — the early days, the challenges, the laughter, the lessons, and the deep commitment that has carried them through the years.

It’s a story about choosing each other.

About growing together.

About learning how to love better — even when it’s hard.

If you believe in real love…

the kind built on patience, faith, friendship, and forgiveness…

this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now to hear Gary & Gwyn’s beautiful backstory.

#BackstorySessions #LoveStories #FebruaryLove #RealLove #MarriageJourney #StorytellingPodcast #AppalachianStories #LongLove #FaithAndFamily #HeartStories #podbean

We end our January author's month with 11 year old Chayton Hudson. Chayton has published 16 books available on amazon. Hear all about The Adventures of Chaycat and Jordy Rabbit.

Miles Spencer, founder and CEO of Reflekta.ai. Throughout my journey as an entrepreneur, media creator, and mentor, I've witnessed the immense value of preserving stories. I speak with my dad daily, even though he passed away eight years ago, because Reflekta allows us to share dynamic, spontaneous conversations just like we did before. As we talk, his responses continue to evolve, and our connection actually deepens over time.

One core mission behind Reflekta is to help Seniors and Veterans record their stories in a living, interactive way so their legacy can be cherished and passed down by families for generations. I've seen firsthand how powerful this is for groups looking for meaningful ways to connect across time and distance. With the right info, bringing a loved one's voice and stories to life takes less than twenty minutes, and I'd be thrilled to demo this process live for your listeners or even help you create your own loved one to connect with on air.

The Cove Schools was the first of its kind in the nation—a school for those who (in 1948) were referred to as brain-injured children. My own difficulties are a pretty good cluster of the issues many Cove students were dealing with: low IQ, poor coordination, medical conditions, hyperactivity, distractibility, behavioral issues, and learning disabilities. There were no programs, much less schools, for such students in Kentucky in the spring of 1962. Yet by the fall of 1962 such children were enrolled in special education classes throughout the Fayette County Public Schools system..

Consequently, it is important to point out that since this school was unique—the only school of its type in the United States—the school was performing a service by training both teachers how to teach and parents how to nurture their children.

The first half of this memoir, "Yearnings," was written primarily in the form of a Japanese haibun—a form that utilizes a combination of prose and poetry. So clearly this is not an attempt at writing a traditional memoir. Neither is it a traditional haibun, particularly since it contains poems beyond just haiku. Even elephant jokes are included here, as are some family photographs. Yet I wrote this part of the book largely in the haibun form because it is best able to tell the story.

Finally, this memoir is built around many documents from the period 1948-1966. Some 'errors' are due to the fact that some spelling conventions (class room, work books, etc.) and grammar conventions have changed over time. In other instances, the spelling errors are due to the author's misspelling of words (Sonday instead of Sunday) in letters home (ages 7-11). And in both instances corrections have not been made and there are neither in-text recognition of those errors nor footnotes. Please assume errors in this text exist for one of those reasons.