My son Jeff was looking for anything pertaining to my ship, USS Polaris, on the Internet. He came across Korean War Veterans. Then, he picked out “Navy”, and then “Ship reunions.” I didn’t know until 1999 that the Polaris held a reunion each year. It’s not a large group, but we’ve bonded like family. We look forward to meeting for the reunion held each year in a different U.S. city. In this group, I want to give special thanks to “Bill” Scott and Lee Nunez for the hours they put into keeping these reunions running smoothly. Anyone who served aboard the Polaris, World War II through its 1957 when it was decommissioned, is welcomed to our reunion. http://usspolarisaf11.us Sayonara to all the little farms with their neat, little vegetable gardens and rice patties, the familiar “chug-chug” of the fishing boats, the tunes of “China Night” and “Kum-Kum Monsume,” and the shy, little children who don’t know what to make of Americans. Sayonara to the beautiful scenery created by trees with their lacy leaves in different shades of green, and the light, drifting snow flurries in winter.

This work is a labor of love by writer Mary Thorpe as a tribute to her much loved Granny O'Rourke (nee Nolan) in an attempt to place the stories she heard and was told into a true and historical context. As a social worker who came across many cases of social deprivation in modern times, Mary had the dawning realization regarding what her own grandmother had been through in even harder times in the late part of the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth century in Ireland. Mary felt the driving need to record her much-loved grandmother's story as recognition of Bridget's harsh life and also as a tribute to her and the millions of others like her who made the best of things while still retaining a sense of pride, of the worth of education as a ticket out of poverty, and of the importance of retaining one's dignity and commitment to family through good and bad times.

I had done everything right, just as I had been taught. I had set a goal and worked toward it. I thought that if I saved all that I could, my dream would soon come true. I was eleven years old. As the day for my great reward neared, my bubble was broken. I watched as my trophy slipped through my fingers and into the hands of someone else. It hurt at first, thinking about all of the fun times that I had missed, working many jobs and saving every penny for a new bicycle. Yet in a profound way, the Lord and my parents were teaching us about compassion and giving and working toward a goal. My older brother and I were blessed beyond measure by that lesson. I reach out to parents and especially Christian parents to be creative with solid life lessons and your children will be solid believers when they grow old. If you are a grandparent, you will want to read this story to your grandchildren. They will be blessed and you will return to times past when life was simple. Much has changed since those days, but that's just the way it was growing up in our house.

Blake is struggling to keep his schoolwork, his papers and his things in order. Assignments and permission slips always go missing. Even the class pet disappears (only to be found nesting inside Blake’s overstuffed, completely cluttered, bursting-at-the-seams school desk)! With a much-needed assist from his teacher and a timely baseball analogy, Blake finally learns how to get organized.

First published in 2007 with the title: I thought it was just me: women reclaiming power and courage in a culture of shame.

Whether broadcasting over the airwaves, or hosting a teenage dance, or presenting a concert, music has been at the center of Pat O'Day's world since the dawn of rock 'n' roll. This memoir offers a colorful trip through the formative years of top-40 radio. You'll read about the development of rock music in the Northwest and about the inner workings of the radio business--and the story ranges well beyond the Pacific Northwest to include never-before-heard stories about Jimi Hendrix, the Beach Boys, Three Dog Night, Jerry Lee Lewis, BTO, Tony Orlando, Paul McCartney, Elvis and many others.--From publisher description.