Barbara Elisse Najar lives in Potomac MD with her precocious feline, Gracie Diana Louise (hobbies: high wire acrobat, tissue paper diving, spelunking, outfielder) and Gracie’s pet (stuffed) mouse, Herman. In addition to being an animal communicator, Barbara is an essayist and science writer whose pieces have been published in The Washington Post and medical journals. She has a BA in English and a master’s degree in public health.  Her multi-varied career has included serving as a public health educator /consultant to the federal government, with a focus on prevention; working on Capitol Hill; serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in India; launching and operating a home cleaning business; and being a real estate developer in Washington DC. Along with trying to keep up with Gracie and writing, Barbara’s other interests include film, theater, swing dance, holistic health, eating, backpacking, metaphysics, and anything ground-breaking. She particularly relishes exploring new ways of dissolving barriers and promoting peace between humans and other species. Nothing is closer to her heart than animals. The purpose of pawsforlove.org™  is to promote deeper understanding of animals by people to improve the chances that home means home, forever.