I’m certainly not a prophet or saint, but I do believe.  And I pray — mostly in the car (about random things), or a quiet chat first thing in the morning or last thing at night.  Too often, I forget.  I’m probably the least perfect person I know.

But this morning I saw something special.

Praying again for healing for GAC, along with comfort and strength for AT and their children, I could see in my mind the image of GAC laying cradled in God’s hand, much like one might nap in a recliner, with sort of a glow making it’s way from God’s palm through her body.  It seemed as UV light kills bacteria, that perhaps this represented God’s taking from her the toxins that have been sapping life from her body.

And maybe letting her feel the love that has gone out from so many in hopes of her recovery.

It’s not like I have visions on a regular basis… I don’t remember ever seeing (even in my mind) anything like this.  I know that she’s still fighting for her life, from AT’s update a few minutes ago.  But somehow, I believe she is getting better.  As good as medical care is, I don’t believe they get all the credit in this one.

Hang in there guys… she’ll be back.

UPDATE: Never mind.  The kitties have a new home, and best of all, one where their children/owners can still visit once in a while. 

Three young cats, vaccinated and neutered, need a new home today. Can you help?

I have five cats already and to bring them to my house would be risking a divorce… but these kitties need a home. Today.
If you haven’t noticed, AT’s been dealing with a crisis this week and needs to find a home for the kittens that he so generously took in a few months ago, after some idiot dropped them off in a box in his yard. He needs them gone before he brings GAC home from the hospital.

I’ll bring them to you, with food. E-mail me and tell me that you can take them.

The News Sentinel reports in a brief blurb this morning that PSI Probation II, LLC has quietly assumed operation of the County’s probation services this week, with five of the former Anderson County probation employees on the payroll.

Anderson County Mayor Rex Lynch earlier this year decided to end the county probation department after seven years in operation.

Lynch said that while the department had been turning a profit, it had been dogged by unfounded controversies.

Maybe it’s true that a management change will make the difference, in spite of Lynch’s assertion in August that former Probation Director Alan Beauchamp wasn’t the problem.

The trouble with live media is, you’re pretty much stuck with what you said.

Congressman Lincoln Davis (D-TN 4th Dist.) on WLAC yesterday with Steve Gill:

Steve Gill: But you said Democrats love the Lord more than Republicans, effectively is that, is that what you said?

Congressman Ford’s Campaign Chairman Congressman Lincoln Davis: I Think, I think Democrats keep the commandments of the Lord more, what Christ told Peter…

Steve Gill: You mean like Bill Clinton?

Congressman Ford’s Campaign Chairman Congressman Lincoln Davis: No, I …

Steve Gill: Exactly which one are you talking about?

Congressman Ford’s Campaign Chairman Congressman Lincoln Davis: I’m not talking about the individual sense.  I’m talking about as a party, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education…

Steve Gill: I don’t remember any of those being listed in the 10 Commandments.

Congressman Ford’s Campaign Chairman Congressman Lincoln Davis: Oh I do!  It, it it’s not the 10 commandments. It it’s, we don’t live by the 10 commandments (sigh).

Steve Gill: We’re done.  We appreciate you being with us.

The audio clip is here.

Lincoln probably does a pretty good job of living by the 10 Commandments — I wouldn’t insinuate otherwise — but trying to filter political parties through that criteria is a losing proposition.  Every time.

I’m not kidding — the Tennessee Senate race has now made news in Australia.

Entitled “Australia ‘a nuclear threat’,” the article cites Harold Ford Jr. as a threat to that country:

[I]f Mr Ford, already a US congressman, wins his bid to become a more powerful senator, Australia had better watch out.

Because according to Mr Ford, Australia has an interest in nuclear weapons and is part of the broader nuclear threat to the US.

My parents are on their way home from Australia as we speak — it will be good to have them home again. They always seem to go on foreign vacations when the world is least stable.

The article really made me step back and think: the premise of the Democratic takeover is that, in theory, Republicans haven’t handled international relations very well. So, Democrats who inflame friendly nations are going to promote something better?

I understand the “throw the bums out” mentality, only in my case, it’s “throw the extremists out” — the ones from the far ends of both parties. Put in some closer to the middle, who can work together on the things that really matter to most people.

TotalChoiceHosting, with a marvelous 99.7% uptime, sort of had a meltdown over the last couple of days. The server that this blog resides on went down yesterday morning, and was back up by noon… but sometime after 8 p.m. they restored all the sites from a backup made a week ago.

So, I lost everything posted between Oct. 21 and Oct. 26. I’ve already summarized the post on Monday’s BEP Review Committee meeting, which was the only really important item of the week.

I’ve learned my lesson about daily backups.

The week in DC has been both fun and educational. With Hubby in meetings for three days and my children safe with their (exceedingly patient, wise, and tolerant) godparents, I’ve had a marvelous opportunity to explore the most extensive libraries and archives in the country. Yes, I carped about the security and inconvenience, but I’ve really enjoyed the chance to see what I wanted to see at my own pace.

I also had a great time in the evenings, when my favorite date escorted me to some neat places for dinner. Neither of us is particularly into the “see and be seen” type joints, but we quickly found a couple of reasonably-priced places with great food and beer.

The Capitol City Brewing Company in the Postal Square (across from Union Station) was a lot of fun, with a great casual ambiance. I highly recommend the Blackout Stout — the history of this traditional oatmeal brew includes the fact that it was used as a safer alternative to water at a time when English water purification wasn’t what one would expect today. Dinner was extremely good, and afterward, we took a brief tour of Union Station.
The Elephant & Castle pub didn’t feature any microbrews, but they did have an excellent selection on draft, along with a menu of traditional pub fare — shepherd’s pie, Guinness stew, pot roast, fish & chips, etc. Given that the weather turned rather cold last evening, comfort foods were very appealing… good thing there was a 12-block walk back to minimize how many of those calories I have to take home with me.

At the E&C, three women sat near us, animatedly talking about how the Foley scandal would bring about a change in control of the House, and one jumped up suddently pointing to CNN, where she recognized herself on one of the news clips about the day’s hearings. I know better than to think one can identify R’s and D’s by appearance (having been told that I don’t “look like” a Republican), but seriously, these women looked like Democrats. Generally, the E&C was a lot noisier than I usually enjoy, but the food was excellent.

There’s so much more I would like to do here, but it’s time to pack and go home. If we’re lucky, we can make kickoff for the Wildcats game tonight vs. Soddy Daisy.

I’ll be sorry to miss AT & GAC’s renewal of vows tomorrow, but I wish them a marvelous weekend and decades of marital bliss to come. Hubby’s and my 19th wedding anniversary is coming up in about 12 days, and I can easily say this: marrying the right person is the best thing in the world. We have more fun together now than we did when we first fell in love, or at any time since. So, although I won’t be at the farm this weekend, I’ll be raising my glass to them nonetheless.

After driving all night, we spent most of yesterday sightseeing around the nation’s capitol with my brother-in-law and niece, who live in nearby Gaithersburg, MD. It was a perfect Fall day… although I’ve been here a few times, it seems there’s never enough time to see everything.

The WWII Memorial is one of those things I’d never had a chance to see, and it was impressive. Located between the reflecting pool and the Washington Monument, it’s partly an interpretive information center, and partly park — people sat on benches by the pools and fountains eating lunch, reading, or just resting in the pleasant afternoon sun.

The FDR Memorial was another that I had not seen before; my niece snapped a picture of us in front of the waterfall.

One of the things I enjoyed here were several of his sayings carved into the brown granite — like “Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear.” I’m not sure we can be free of want, but I do appreciate the sentiment.

The last new display we took in was the Holocaust Memorial… one that leaves me somewhat at a loss for words. Yes, I know the history. I’ve heard Mira Kimmelman’s talk (once as a student, and once as an adult), and read her book — both of which are deeply moving. But the Holocaust Memorial has a profound effect on people. Almost no one spoke; people wiped tears from their cheeks as they read and listened, and as we left, other groups behaved very much like the four of us: walking away in silence.

Everyone needs to see this memorial, to remember, to understand, to ensure that it never happens again.