Day: April 28, 2017

My friend Ali (Amjad Abdalla Abdullah) is out of the hospital, he is recovering from a nearly fatal car crash on an Interstate highway near Albany last week, his car was struck and rolled over twice. He was in the hospital for six days and has some stitches in his leg and is having some tests for concussion.

He says he is in some pain but doing well.

Ali says he misses his kids at RISSE (the refugee and immigrant support center in Albany) and is coming back to work Monday, perhaps sooner than he was supposed to come back to work. Ali and I have talked almost every day, and I am so grateful to count this loving and dedicated man as a friend.

He is truly an angel to me.

He is a teacher (and driver) at RISSE and he loves these refugee children, and they love him. He is also coaching their first soccer team. His devotion to these young people is inspiring, and I am going to Albany money to welcome him back and spend some time with him.

If the kids have problems at home, the parents often call Ali for help. He helps.

While Ali was in the hospital, a dozen kids came to see him, many of them in tears. Ali and I are going to sit down and make up a list of ways me and the Army Of Good can help him. We have already purchased 20 tickets to the Great Escape and Adventure Park in Lake George in July, bought some soccer shirts, and donated 90 art and creativity kits.

We are exploring art classes for some of the young artists in the group, and I will let you know about the other things Ali and the kids need.

He is a wonderful man, and RISSE is a wonderful organization, it is a gift to me to be able to support them. These are good people who have suffered enough, several of the children told me last week that me and the blog “came from heaven.” I am so grateful to be able to show them the true heart and soul of America.

They always ask about the good people who help them, and I say that people want to do good, given the chance, it keeps their hearts from turning to stone.

Ali always tells them “America is better than this,” that this is a good country with open hearts and souls, and we will hopefully show them that is true. He is planning some visits to the farm soon, and wants to get the soccer team focused. We are also thinking about an art show for the kids who want to make art.

If any of you wish to write Ali and welcome him back to work, I think that would be a great gift to  him, a great lift of the spirits and a message to the children that they are not alone. It was terrifying of them to think of losing Ali, and they came close. You can write him c/o Ali Muhammed, c/o RISSE, 715 Morris Street, Albany, N.Y., 12208.

(Note: Please don’t send donations or contributions directly to Ali at RISSE, it causes all kinds of bureaucratic and bookkeeping problems. We are planning to set up a page or site where donations can be funneled directly to Ali and the refugee kids, that will happen soon.)

All of the contributions and donations will go directly to the children. And they need a lot of things.

Thanks so much for coming along on this new and remarkable trip. Life is full of crisis and mystery, but listening and doing good are better than arguing and wringing hands.

I have a corner all set up for me and Red at the Battenkill Bookstore, my local bookstore. When she can, Maria comes with me and helps me get the inscriptions right, and Connie stacks the books and prepares them for shipment. I’m not sure of the exact figure now, but we are up to 700 pre-orders. Each of the people who order or pre-order will receive this very classy and custom made tote-bag.

I have my own table, my own tea and even my own pen signing kit. Maria and I try to do the book tour together, it is important to her and to me and we make a dynamite team.

I will also sign and personalize each copy (within reason) purchased through Battenkill.

We need a new and wiser understanding of animals if they are to remain in our world. We need to talk to them and listen to them, rather than project our own needs and emotions onto them. I think the book will help animals and also help people keep animals among us. Lots of anecdotes and hopefully useful information.

That’s the idea. You can order or pre-order the book through Battenkill, my local bookstore. They take paypal and credit cards, their phone number is 518 677-2515. There are several hundred of these neat tote-bags left and we will order more when we pass the 1,000 mark.

If there are to be bookstores and  writers left in the world, writers must change, and readers must buy books, and not just from Amazon. I am changing, my blog is part of that, so are the donations and voluntary payments. I intend to be relevant, and to remain a book writer.  For that matter, so are the tote-bags. We never used to give things away to encourage people to buy our books. But it sure works now.
If you are book lover, then this could be a chance for you to vote with your money, for a wonderful bookstore, for books, for me.  We can’t just wish for books and bookstores to remain and thrive, we need to help. Because of that help, independent bookstores are making a comeback.

So are some writers.

Thanks for helping me move towards 1,000.

My publisher will pay attention to that. You can order or pre-order here.