Hi Mark-I'm Briana. I'd like to let you know about two songs you've recorded that have really touched me the first song is "Don't Laugh At Me" because when I was born on June 16th of 1984 I was born 10 wks early with my twin brother & I weighted 3lbs, 2oz when I was born. I was diagnosed with mild Cerebral Palsy(has to deal with the muscles in my body. My right side is slower/weaker than my left side so I can't do all things exactlly like everyone else & it takes me longer to learn stuff.) and Hydrocephalus(I have a tube in my head called a shunt that has to be there to help drain off the fluid that can build up into my head because if it isn't fixed in time it can cause brain damage or death.)The doctors didn't think I'd ever learn to walk, but with time & as many people can see now I've proved the doctors wrong about when they said I'd most likely never walk. Anyway, when I started school it was really hard for me because kids would look at me and stare at me. They would copy the way I walk as well as trip me, push me, call me names also because I have glasses(now got contacts, but still learning to put them in so I wont have to wear my glasses all the time.) I'd also get chosen last for games or not at all. The students would always say you can't play with us cause you don't know how to do it correctly. So when I would go home I'd cry myself to sleep every night because I'd want to be accepted for who I was & I always wondered and still wonder why God made me this way, but for what reason I guess I'll never know. When I was in 6th grade there was a girl named Brandi in my class and I never knew she would stand up for me until her funeral(I forgot exactly how she died) her Mom had talked with my Mom and I guess her Mom found her diary and read it and she found out that she would stand up for me. Now I wish I would have known cause I would have loved to keep her diary in memory of the friend I never knew I had all those awful six years at Ramon Garza Elementary School in the past. Even when I got out of elementary school I'd still get teased, but this time it was also worse because I got my first boyfriend(he didn't act like one thou) and he had an older brother in high school so when ever my boyfriend would ask me to call him and his brother would answer the phone he'd tell my boyfriend "***** it's your retarded friend on the phone!" than my boyfriend would also tell me his brother would say "She's a F***ing cripple"(sorry about that, but just telling my story) and stuff like that and then people would tease me and this was my senior year cause I was running to lunch and the students were all "Run girl run!" and than they would start laughing...by the way my ex boyfriend and his family moved Yippie!!! I'm so glad and I just hope to find a sweet guy to accept me someday like Mark and others have now. Oh yeah, I remember one day I was riding in the truck with my Mom when "Don't Laugh At Me" came on the radio(my first time hearing it) I just started balling just after the first few chords in the song I became Marks biggest # 1 fan espcially in my town! So after hearing the song I asked my Mom if I could buy the CD that the song was on so when I got the CD "Wish You Were Here" I'd listen to "Don't Laugh At Me" every single night in my bed with my portable CD player and I'd cry myself to sleep with the song. I'd listen to it so much that my Mom finally had to take them both out of my room for a while and it made me so mad. The second song that is my # 1 favorite with "DLAM" is "In My Arms" because it's a song that I wish was true with my dad(in CO), but it's not my biological father would put my brother and I into dangerous situations. One time my brother swam into the deep end and I followed him cause I didn't want to be by myself in the shallow end and I didn't have my water wings on and I can't tread water very well and I started to drowned and all my dad told me to do was swim, etc. I'll let you know more Mark if you'd like to talk at a show for a while or even before a show. So the way "In My Arms" touches me is the way you make this great promise to Mally Ann and now Macey Marie that you'll always be there for them, but my dads, dad in CO and my step-dad(divorced from Mom, but now around for me, but still really hurt me) that won't happen cause both are going to miss out on all and most of the stuff esp. with being able to give me away at my wedding. So the song is VERY special to me for a different reason than of what you sing about for the girls. I'd love to let your family know how greatful I am for you. I hope to hear from you Mark and I can't wait to see you again when you plan to come back to Bakersfield, CA to play at Buck Owens Crystal Palace it would be an honor if I could sing a song with you. To prove a point to my Mom and her boyfriend because at one point they made a comment that I'd NEVER sing back-up for any of my favorite singers esp. my hometown boy *Victor Sanz so if you could help me with my dream I'd appreciate it so very much. My only dreams are either to become a teacher like my friends, but the bigger one is to become a country singer and it's because of you Mark and my hometown boys Victor Sanz and the Smokin Armadillos(even thou they quit on us!) and Texan Clay Walker, but you were the first to make have a dream of becoming a country singer. Although my life has been rough there has been one person that has really helped me through my hard times and that person is my *Bestest Friend* Anita Priest. She would stand up for me just like Brandi did and I'm very grateful and blessed that she's my *bestest friend* I love her with all my heart, but she is not only my *bestest friend* she's like my sister. Love Always, Briana de Geus(My hometown boys,yours, John Schneider, and John Ritter's # 1 fan FOREVER!!!)