A quick
prayer request – for Dan, who is a U.S. Soldier in Iraq, and engaged to be married to one of our altos in September. Her brother (one of our tenors) told me this morning that Dan started today on his last mission, a three-day mission ending Tuesday. Unless they extend his tour again (he's already had an extra three months tacked on, causing postponement of the wedding from July), he then starts the process of Going Home.
I remember this feeling from when I had buddies in Vietnam. It gets this close to the end, and you can hardly stand it for the fear that right at the last, something could go wrong. Please pray that Dan gets through these three days, and home safely, so that he and Annie can be married and live happily ever after.
And here I was, spending my mental energy being on pins and needles about Harry Potter and his friends, hoping they all make it alive through the upcoming Book Seven. The reminder this morning puts that all in perspective. She and her brother have been lighting votive candles in church for him every Sunday and Wednesday for over a year, and all of us have been praying – for him, and for other people Over There, too.
I haven't been here much lately, beyond peeking in to see what is going on. Parm, I have been praying for your health situation, and recovery from the computer hack. Prayers also for MithLuin's grandmother, and SMOR (I've missed you) and Wimsie, whom I've also missed very much, and the move of Gwenny's family, and that teacher's dad, and Nim and Iris, and the family of Iris's cousin, and Teth, and the whole situation that MithLuin has shared about, and K.eve, and strider and her friends, and all the people I haven't mentioned. Greetings to Crusader; hope to see you often around here.
[manwe mode]Iris, we raised enough fuss in our county that we got the paper backups on the voting machines. The key was that the county auditor, who is responsible for elections, kept telling the Powers That Be that he did not have “a high degree of confidence” in the security of the system without paper backup. His worry was not about the sort of thing some of us Democrats have been muttering since 2000 and 2004 (i.e., possibilities for fraud), but more about the ways that an electronic-only system can break down or be corrupted, and all the data lost by accident or system failure. Combined with continuing letters, etc. from people in the county, it finally carried the day.[/manwe mode]
Got to run...
(goes off HOOMing for some buddies to come along and help Elladan's Rohirrim, not that they need any help. But having a couple of Ents along can't hurt.
Those hackers are going to be in for a tough time)
:):):):):):):):):)
Cassi, a servant of the Lord
:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
Post on Your Phone!
for the Dan Clan. 
well, he is Russian. So yeah, I guess he's cute in a way.
Do let us know when he's safe and sound, won't you?