Katie Couric's Notebook: Voice bank

James Earl Jones once said, "One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter."

For most of us, that probably means not having the strength to say how we really feel. But for a British man named Lawrence Brewer, it's an impending reality.

He has progressive motor neuron disease...and may be physically unable to speak soon. In a video on the BBC website, he's seen recording a series of 1,600 sentences to capture his voice - like "I have noticed Holly helped." Or, "Instead of dingy velveteen he had brown fur," which made him laugh.

All those words will be stored digitally - and someday he'll use a computer so his 13-month-old son can hear his voice.

Most people have no problem speaking, but when it comes to dealing with loved ones they still struggle to find the right words. Lawrence Brewer won't have to - he knows exactly where they are and already had the courage to say them.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.