Decluttering and Donkeys
with Author Susy Flory
Declutter with Kathi is going to Ireland!
Get in your 15 minutes and learn more than you would imagine about donkeys!
Meet Our Guest
Susy Flory
Sanctuary: The True Story of an Irish Village, a Man Who Lost His Way, and the Rescue Donkeys That Led Him Home
Patrick Barrett grew up on the back of a donkey. In the small village of Liscarroll, the young boy helped his family run a sanctuary for abandoned and abused donkeys. Struggling in school, Patrick only felt truly accepted in the presence of these funny, fuzzy, touching animals. It was like magic, how he and the donkeys understood each other. He became a true “donkey whisperer”?reading their body language, communicating with them in ways they could understand, and teaching himself how to “speak” in their distinctive calls.
But when Patrick was of age, he shipped out with the Irish Army and encountered unimaginable wartime horrors in Lebanon and Kosovo. In the aftermath, he returned home a broken man, sinking into the depths of PTSD and addictions. He believed nothing could save him. But he hadn’t counted on the donkeys.
Sanctuary is the remarkable true story of how faith turned one lost man’s life around with the help of the rescue animals who loved him. It’s an antidote to despair and a call to hope, revealing the beauty and wonder of Ireland as you’ve never seen it before.
ORDER SANCTUARY
More Posts
#325 The Hardest Thing to Let Go Of: Give Them Wings, by Carol Kuykendall and Krista Gilbert
On today’s show, Kathy sits down with Carol Kuykendall and Krista Gilbert to talk about their book, “Give Them Wings." Carol and Krista share insights about how to clear the emotional clutter out of the letting go process. Kathy, Carol and Krista also share an...
Eps 324: When the Sticky and Sacred Collide with Jami Amerine
Kathi sits down with Jami Amerine, author of "Sacred Ground, Sticky Floors," to talk about one of her blog posts that went viral over night. Jami shares the positive and negative reactions to this "rant" as she calls it, when she realized she didn't want her kids to...
The Good Kind of Clutter (And How It’s a Sign of Great Parenting)
One of the statements I consistently get at events (or even at church) is: “Wow. So, your house must be perfect all of the time …” Um … no. If you saw my garage, you would know that, while I’m exponentially better than I was 10 years ago, I’m still a work in progress....
- #682 – Back-to-School Prep: Tips for a Smooth Transition - August 12, 2025
- #681 – Embracing Empty Spaces: A New Approach to Clutter - August 5, 2025
- #680 -From Overwhelmed to Organized: Transform Your Closet in 45 Minutes - July 29, 2025
Susy Flory is the New York Times bestselling author or co-author of sixteen books. She directs West Coast Christian Writers, is founder of Everything Memoir, and is in the final year of an MA in New Testament from Northern Seminary. Her book, The Unbreakable Boy, has been adapted for the screen and will release March, 2022, starring Patricia Heaton and Zachary Levi. Her most recent book. Sanctuary (Tyndale), co-authored with Patrick Barrett, is the true story of an Irish village, a man who lost his way, and the rescue donkeys that led him home, and launches March 15, 2022
For more from Susy, connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.
Download the first two chapters of Sanctuary
Listen to the first two chapters of Sanctuary