Introducing Second Chance North
For over four years I did marketing and other tasks for a local rescue shelter. We rescued dogs from a high kill shelter in Kentucky. That's where I got my dog and he's the reason I decided to begin volunteering. Sadly, the rescue closed due to the financial strain of COVID and all that happened after that. I only wrote my book so I would always have money to donate to them and I rushed to release to be able to do one signing. I am pleased to announce I have a new rescue partner to help! Second Chance North rescues dogs from 2nd Chance Shelter in Alabama. They are a foster to adoption group and they are doing wonderful work. Next month I have a major TV interview and four book signings and a few other things happening that I hope will raise enough to rescue more dogs. I'm [...]
A Dog Will Change Everything
Yesterday I was a guest on a podcast about people who are trying to make a difference in the world. The host was a quiet high school student and he was incredibly personable. I loved his pacing and his desire to do what he sees as a small thing to help our hurting world. Of course we talked about dogs. Not the book, except to mention I'd written a book, but we didn't even share the title which is fine with me. I told my story and how I went from saying I'd never have a dog to doing what I do. Pretty wild story when you think about it. One of his questions prompted me to say that I'm not a dog person. I love my dog, but I'm not a stereotypical person who would adopt any and every dog out there. I told him I have a problem [...]
Sing
When I was nineteen I developed a massive goiter. They never did find out why this happened to me, but in my second semester of my freshman year of college, I spent a week at KU Medical Center and additional time at the local hospital in my hometown. On April Fool’s Day, which was also my mom’s birthday, my doctor removed over half of my thyroid gland and two of my parathyroid glands. That afternoon he removed my mother’s hemorrhoids. Not the happiest of birthdays for her. At the time I didn’t know about the importance of the thyroid but people made sure to send me the Reader’s Digest containing the article called “I Am Joe’s Thyroid.” And all these years later I can tell you it’s been quite roller coaster because it’s a really important gland. What I also didn’t know was that I would not be able to [...]
God Don’t Like Ugly.
My mother was a woman who could cut through the heart of things with just a few words. She had eight kids and countless foster boys and had a neighborhood filled with kids who called [...]
A Shared Soda
While getting my car repaired a few years ago a darling little couple walked into the waiting area. They were in their late 80s, she in a pair of pants that were far too baggy, [...]
Lift Every Voice
Every year I sang with the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble HVAE we did a Black History concert at Chaminade. It was, hands down, my absolute favorite concert of the year. We didn't have a large [...]