A joyful moment during the storm

Photo: Houston Chronicle

Hurricane Harvey kicked our ass. So much of the city is flooded, homes are destroyed, lives lost, people homeless. Tonight, I found a little ounce of joy. I was assigned to cover a team ofhairstylists and barbers who generously donated their time and talent to do hair for those in shelter. So beautiful to see men, women and kids who have lost everything have a moment of joy with a hair cut or new style. Also great to know there are now only about 2,500 in the shelter, down from 10,000 earlier this week. (Photo by Yi-Chin Lee)

Meeting S. Epatha Merkerson

Epatha Merkerson, who played Lieutenant Anita Van Buren for 17 years on the show, was in town to receive The Ensemble Theatre'sLifetime Achievement Award. Merkerson played the longest running African American character on prime-time television, until Ice T recently beat her record for his role on" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

I even snagged her as a guest on my radio show, The Joyful Life.

She is a joy.

No place like home

I was just 19 when I attended my first National Association of Black Journalists convention.  After all these years, it still feels like home.  #yearofjoy

Movies Houstonians, like me, love

It's official ... I'll be hosting a screening of "Mahogany" featuring Diana Ross for The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Movies Houstonians Love series. (I've said it before: you should slap yourself if you love fashion and haven't seen it.)

Mark your calendar for 7 pm Sat. Dec. 2. I know it's months away but it'll fly by. #yearofjoy

Finally, I get to tap

I promised myself when I started my #YearOfJoy journey that I would try the things that I've wanted to do for a long time. Tap dancing is one of them. So today, I took my very first tap dance class. And it was awesome.

Even when memory fades, there's still joy

Photo: Houston Chronicle

This was of the sweetest stories I've done in while. In 1945, Betty Mohr posed for an ad that ran in Seventeen magazine. Now at 88 and suffering from Alzheimer's and dying from breast cancer, she returns in front of the camera to recreate the moment in time. Click here to read the story.

There are 5 million people in the nation with Alzheimer's and 2/3 are women. Awful disease.

"Even if they've lost their memory, they can still experience joy. She might not remember the event, but she can remember the feeling and the sense of value."

JOY LESSON: Enjoy every joyful moment you get.