Mom Gets Out (Hurray!)

{Sent last Thursday}

Hi {friend},

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for this afternoon. Because of all the craziness while Dad has been sick this week with his intestinal bug, I wasn't even sure until the last minute how many of us (if any) were even going to be able to make it. Thankfully Mom and I haven't gotten it, so we suspect it may have been bad food he ate at the church potluck on Sunday.

You and {your wife} are great hosts! My mother loved her time there this afternoon. Even her being able to stay as long as she did is really remarkable. Your house is about as bad as they get for fragrances. But since the breakthrough at the Courageous Living Conference she's been steadily testing her physical boundaries. She's been to our own church (First Southern in Cottonwood) twice now. Last time was communion Sunday, and she got to have communion with the gathered church for the first time in at least 12 years. (People have come out from church with communion during those years, of course, but it was a special joy for her to have it in person.) She also went to Phoenix (Mesa, actually) with us on Thanksgiving and we celebrated Thanksgiving with my brother and his family for the first time in their marriage (they have been married 18 years). So today she decided to just see how she would do in an even more challenging (environmentally) building. She enjoyed being around normal people for a change. 

So, thank you so much for your hospitality, and making her feel welcome. I'm sorry we couldn't stay longer.

I'm hoping to have time to write you more later about some ministry things, but for now...

the Lord's blessings to you, brother!

Daniel