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Dear Lisa, JB and Susie, Mary, Rusty and Sally, Katherine and Corey, and Susannah,

I don’t really like sending a bulk e-mail to all of you–the forwarding makes me nuts and Dad and his brothers and sisters make fun a little bit about the bulk mailings from their Dad-mostly–although now that most of them are parents multiple times they surely see the convenience. I admit the convenience and appreciate it but I expect to use it only sparingly and at least I’m addressing you all individually and not lumping you. It occurred to me this morning that I could just put what I want to say to all of you in the blog and then just e-mail each of you and tell you to go there–it felt like a shortcut at the time. Dad was going to write on the blog last night but he got involved in getting 2 viruses off Katherine and Corey’s cumputer so Katherine would have it for school and didn’t get past that–unless he did and didn’t tell me.

Although I hadn’t discussed my letter to you all with him–he was, as you’ll remember, camping when I wrote it–he did find it as he was cleaning up my computer in the virus crisis. He thanked me for it and for enlisting your help and said he felt surprisingly–I think his term was “preternaturally”, and I’m fighting the urge to go look that up (it’s these digressions that defeat me every time) calm about his upcoming ordeals i.e. interviews–and I think that’s true because he slept last night. Also, He bore his testimony yesterday and that was very touching–he talked about a scout testing the veracity of the teaaching he’d been given about the value of boiling water–would it work on really dirty water? The kid tested the theory by boiling the pond water at the camp–think Lake Ralphine–and drinking it. Dad compared it to testing various spiritual promises and it was a very effective illustration. Dad did comment later that he really hopes Jonathon does not get sick any time soon–I think that’s less lack of faith in the principles involved than concern about how long he might actually have boiled the water–and there may also be a sermon in that concept.

Lisa cleaned up his resume and made some smart suggestions and he is at work now looking for possibilities and feeling preternaturally calm–thanks to you.

Love, Mom