OT: Your posts and value in crisis

[Charme]

All,

It's been a long time, but I have a really good excuse - during parts of 
Sept and all of October, I was deployed fulltime with the American Red Cross 
and assisting federal agencies after Katrina hit the Gulf coast. I got back 
in early Nov and have been struggling to catch up in my life back here ever 
since.

That being said, the Old Crowd group was my escape from the stress of my 
volunteer work, as I was wirelessly connected to the Internet via a Treo I 
was graciously given to use. I wanted you to know that I read your 
posts(Barry, Lyn, Talisman, Catlady, Susan Albrecht, Eustace-Scrubb, pippin, 
and the others) often out loud to other adult Potterheads who were in 
shelters or hotels where I stayed during my work with the team - it became 
an almost nightly affair in a huge shelter for 3 weeks.  I tried to use the 
HPfGU messages but there were too many, and the conversation not as 
enlightening in the opinion of my audience.  (Sorry, your thoughts were 
REQUESTED by them, and of course I had to comply)

It ended up being an invaluable way to lighten the mood and discuss 
something other than FEMA, flood damage estimates, and victim's lack of 
personal property and homes. In fact, if I didn't download my messages from 
this group when I had a signal, my fellow Potterheads were quite 
disappointed. :)  Since donated copies of the Potter books were available, 
many adults who hadn't read them before started to and became interested so 
the discussion probably still is occuring elsewhere in my absence.

I just thought you should know how much I appreciated being able to be part 
of this group, if only to read what you write and discuss. You unwittingly 
contributed in your way to alleviating not only stress from my day, but for 
those far less fortunate than me.

Much holiday Potter love -
Charme