Izzy, groomed meticulously by a local groomer, is ready for his book tour, and eager to meet his public. He reminds me of the old crooner and comedian Dean Martin, and I call Izzy “Mr. Smoothie,” because he really can charm women and loves attention.

September 22, 2008 – I like to say that a writer never knows what a book is really about until it is published, and people read it, and tell him or her what it is really about. I guess I’m about to find out. I write memoirs basically, and am always shocked to discover how little I really grasp about my own life as it occurs. Sometimes, later, I can put snippets together and make some sense out of it.
  This book is an account of the last winter, surely the most remarkable of my life, and in many ways the most surprising. I got deeply involved in photography, thus beginning the process of self-discovery as an artist. Thanks to Izzy and Lenore, I became deeply involved in hospice work. I confronted my own notions of spirituality.  I began to deal with some severe issues relating to anxiety and depression, and thanks to a skilled and plain-speaking clinical social worker, began to come to terms with my life. I got a Labrador puppy, Lenore, who showed me a thing or two about love.
  The hospice work was, to me, a seminal part of the year. All winter, Izzy and I criss-crossed Washington County, racking up hundreds of volunteer hours and thousands of miles, visiting private homes, nursing homes to meet people on the edge of life.
  The hospice work helped trigger my photography, as I was powerfully drawn to capture my hospice experience in images as well as words.
  It was and is nothing but uplifting and inspiring work. You can check some of it out on my Hospice Journal, published on this site.
  This evening, my friend and hospice colleague Keith Mann (one of my favorite photos is Keith and Izzy, in the new book) came over to pick up a book to give away at a luncheon, and we talked a bit about hospice. I asked him what he thought was the most important message I might give in interviews about this work.
  He said it might be important to point out that some people think enrolling in hospice means giving up on their lives, or the lives of their loved ones. Not true, as we both now know. It’s really about making sure remaining time is used meaningfully, and in dignity and comfort. There is a big difference, and I saw that again and again this past year.
  So the book, which is published today, is about a lot of things, and focuses on two remarkable animals, Izzy and Lenore. Izzy came into my life suddenly, and changed it. Lenore was a deliberate decision, a reflection of something I needed to understand. For me, the impact of dogs is greatest when they lead us to people. That’s what happened to me.
  I love many things about where I live, and one of the most important is that life in a place like this brings you closer to life and death, something I think my friend Steve McLean, the pastor, first said to me.
  He was right. I guess in many ways that’s what  being a writer is all about.