Miracles are spontaneous, they cannot be summoned, but come of themselves.
~Katherine Anne Porter
Update: Thank you contributors and commentors for your delicious generosity! Sufficient funds have been received. I knew it wasn't possible for Heather to be anywhere but Minneapolis June 16-19!
Well, this IS actually a summons. My friend, Heather (known here as Chacounne), has been planning on attending NN11 in Minneapolis this week, and it was already something of a miracle that she had been able to pull it together to be there.
Many of you know her for contributions to Daily Kos on the torture issue, and you may also know that she has been deeply inolved with torture coverage at DK in general and specifically the anti-torture activist/roundtable discussion at Netroots Nation.
If you've read any of Heather's diaries and comments, you are aware that she does this work as a memory tribute for her beloved husband, Dan. She tells me that this week is actually the sixth anniversary of his heart attack:
My husband, Dan, was a Vietnam vet who survived torture. Six years ago, Dan had a fatal heart attack & left me a mission, to stop torture as the law, policy & practice of the US, & to fight for accountability, For Dan.
If you read Chronic Tonic, you're also aware that she has physical challenges and that she has pain and accessibility issues as well as the predictable obstacles which come from living on a fixed income.
A few months ago, Heather moved into a space which was comfortable and accommodated her needs. Unfortunately for all concerned, that ended abruptly when one of her room mates died unexpectedly. In addition to the shock of the loss of her friend, this required that Heather's funds be directed toward finding new accommodations and moving. This is the THIRD move she's made in the past year.
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