Ain't it just like a woman to be so unpredictable? Jim Cantore standing there in Houston with 40 mph winds looking disappointed. Hmm. Just goes to show you that nobody can predict what the weather will do.

Rita seems to be a typical gal, picking up speed and backin' off to re-enforce the lessons learned via Katrina. I'm smiling just thinking about all those who've picked up and taken off for a few days. If I could afford the gas, I would too.

It makes me think. About how prepared we are to care for each other. The ARCthrives on that spirit of reaching out and touching others which we all embrace. It's a huge organization, not unlike the federal government, with high salaried executives at the helm. Local citizens serve on the boards of directors and get their pictures in the hometown paper handing over big checks to smiling reps.

In the wake of the WTC bombings, the ARC collected tens of thousands of units of blood knowing that most of them would go to waste 42 days later. Someone didn't tell the whole story. This organization does a much better job of serving people regionally. Less red tape, so to speak. The one that I work closely with weathered that storm by giving this reply: "Come back when the crisis is over. There is always a need for blood donors, 24/7/365 days per year."

That's a hard concept for many. God bless the ones who get it.