Hello all,

This is Jan - T's sister-in-law. I have temporarily hijacked his blog because I found something I want to share. I really do not have permission to share it and I probably should have asked first. Perhaps, I am in a state of rebellion. Perhaps, emotion has overcome me and I am not thinking clearly. Or perhaps I share, so that others might love. You will understand that at the end of this post.

So. I came across a typed copy of an email that T had sent to his daughter. Truthfully, I am not sure how I happen to have this in my possession. I suspect T had sent it to me because we periodically shared our writing from time to time. Or maybe he had sent it to me when I was building a website for him. Maybe Spirit sent it to me. Or maybe I simply stole it, somehow. I just don't remember. I do know I printed it out and saved it because it is so beautiful...and so very wise. Enjoy and forgive my presumption, if any.

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Dear Spirit,

This artwork was a birthday card for you...but, after purchasing it, I,...well... got a little embarrassed as I'm not much into Modern Fantasy Romantic Imagery, and it seemed, so... so... "over the top". (Too: I don't buy cards, remember? :-) ) However, every time I bump into it, as I rummage through my stuff, I'm struck as to how accurate a picture of you it is... She's beautiful. She speaks (plays) to the Universe. Apparently it's a Pleasing Sound... :-) Upon reflection, I should have sent it promptly.    

Sophie, T, Spirit

The reason I thought it was fitting for you was that it portrays something I've always known about you... When I describe my family to others, when I get to you, I explain that you are "very pretty and all that", but that the real thing about you is that whenever you walk into a room, it's a little like someone twisted the light-dimmer knob up. It takes about 4 seconds for even a dullard to detect that "there's something special about that girl over there who just walked in"...                                              (...I stop only to spare you further embarrassment...) 

Miraculously, by the way, that characteristic is apparently hereditary (and, contagious in some situations). Clearly, your kids inherited it...and Eden got infected, too.

Might I digress to share a story (and a discussion I had with Eden).... ?             

Your Mom and I were at Frank & Barbs...(w/Scott & Pamela...). Early in the evening, we had been talking about "The How and When God talks to Us"...and how we sometimes Hear, a lot, ...and sometimes ..well.. Not so much... And, that when we don't feel like we are being "Spoken To", that it is a testimony of our Faith, that we know He still Abides in us. Later in the evening, Frank was reiterating his and Barb's trials that they lived-through while waiting for his writing to come to fruition...(...it was years and it was in poverty...) Anyway, there was the obvious fun part in his story, when the first publisher called to let him know they were interested in one of his books (...one of his kids books, by the way...not one of his big books....that came years later)... But he continued to describe how difficult it was, being driven to write and speak, yet still working in the ski-shop, making K2 skis. At the end of his story, he said (...eyes just beginning to tear-up and voice slightly un-steady...) "But I never lost faith". All of us realized that's what we had been talking about earlier. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Unbeknownst even to himself, he'd started this fun little story...which ended with his testimony.

Anyway, when I got home, whilst sharing a bit with E, [Ooops!, Short double-digression: Eden had come home that night from dance very excited about a part she has in the next recital...] So, in talking about how & why we feel...and defining the difference between:  "just doing your thing" resulting in [almost inadvertently] affecting others 

(vis-a-vis, Frank's story) 

-vs.- 

being, say, in a band, and doing it primarily because you like people coming up to you saying,

    "Oh! I just Love that song"...

More Pointedly: "Why do you Dance?"

[e.g. Why do you Sing, Why do you Dance, Why do you Sculpt, Why do you Skate-Board] We ended up watching "Turn to Stone (Melanie & Marko Contemporary)" on YouTube [...and my remembering sitting with the girls, all of us watching it on the TV the first time, and all of us, uniformly, "feeling"...}...when Eden pointed out: 

"People don't remember you because of what you say,                                                                                  People don't remember you because of what you do,                                                                                     People remember you because how how you make them feel."

When I further pressed:   Yes, but why do you do it? 

"Is it because it feels good when an audience claps and shouts 

      at the end of a dance...a song...a jump... ...

is it our ego that makes us want to have that..?"

Eden: 

"No. It's because we love that song, that dance, and we want to share it so they can love it too."          

So:  

For those whose heart is in the right place, 

   We Share, 

       that They might Love. 

Keep On Sharing!

JAT

yLd

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And so I share...

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I felt just a bit badly that I don't have other letters to share of the many important people in T's life. But I wanted to share this one because it expresses so clearly, not just about who he speaks of in the letter, but it also clearly demonstrates who he is! And there is a really good lesson in it for all of us.

Further, everyone knows T has other thoughts/notes just as poignant as this one, about people important to him. If you have a note, from T, that you would like to share feel free to send it my way. I promise next time I will ask his permission.