Dear Bridget

Dear Bridget,

Happy Birthday! Well I know there's like 2 days still, but I'm thinking of you at this very moment and so I am writing to you now.

I am glad you're my sister. I remember some fun times with you.

Do you remember all the special gifts you and I and Becca would wrap up for each other at Christmas? Well and I still do it. And the hide and seek in the dark at moms house and we kept knocking over the christmas tree and breaking things.

And when you got married you and Glenn gave me 2 cookie sheets. It made me happy. Those 2 cookie sheets are the only ones I have and it's so nice to have them.

And I love how we can sit around and laugh about things when you come and visit mom. And when you came down to visit and stayed at my house last year, it was great. I loved having you here.

You are such a hard worker. I'm proud of how hard you've worked to get through school and to take care of your kids.

I am so impressed by how much you love your students and how badly you want them to succeed. You have such a great heart.

I hope your birthday goes well and you know that your family loves you so much.

Love,

Les

Dear r1, r2, j, and a few others

Dear r1, r2, j, and a few others I won't even bother initializing,

Have you ever been misunderstood? Well, apparently it happens. You see, some of you seem to have misunderstood me. How you ask, well since it seems I've put my house up for sale. Yes, I know shocking.

So what do you all do? You assume. Remember what that does. And it did. Why would I sell my house to follow a guy? Much less when I admit I've not got anyone, thats right, NO GUY, that I'm interested in dating? And yet, you still ask, or state that is why I am selling. Annoying and dumb.

No, I'm not following any of you anywhere. NO, I'm not following some guy from the internet, there is NO guy. How well you know me it seems to even make such an assumption. I feel so flattered to think that you think so highly of me that I'd just randomly drop my house and walk away from it for some random guy. Like I have no depth or life beyond that of following a guy. Apparently thats all I live for?

Why can't I just live life to the fullest and should some guy come along that added to it, he can be an accessory in the house, not the one I drop the house for? Or better yet, we're both in a happy place and the house doesn't even matter. It's just a thing. I can't take it with me when I die anyways. People around me, life, service to God, there's so much more than a house in the perspective of things.

And while I'm at it. Just because I'm nice to you doesn't mean I want you, that I am totally in to you, that I am in love with you, or that I want to date you. Can I just not be nice with no ulterior motives? Can I just be kind for no other reason than to do so?

And one date six months ago doesn't mean a thing. It was a date. Yes I got me some food and you got the pleasure of my company. Can I just be your friend with no expectations? Can we just not flirt for the sheer enjoyment of it without anything coming of it? Just because I flirt doesn't mean I'm in love with you. It just means I am honing my skills and sharpening my knives. You're my practice till the right guy comes along. And I'm letting you practice on me for the right girl.

Not selling my house for you, not wanting to date you, not dreaming of you tonight, not even wanting to cuddle with you tonight,

Les

Dear Wasps

Dear Wasps,

Why don't you die? I see you at my parent's house. I see you at my neighbors house, I see you at my house. I kill all your nests, and yet, you still survive.

And worst of all, when I was picking apricots, you stung me in my armpit. Of all the places to pick, you stung me there!

I would just like you to know, it's war. If I see you, I spray you, and you die.

Bring it on you icky little beasties!

Les

Dear R,

Dear R,

I recall the moment I really saw you. It's like the light was turned on and there you were. Standing where you'd been all along, only I finally took notice of the amazing you I should've seen in all along. I felt bad. I wish I had been kinder, I wish I had been friendlier. I should've been better. I'm sorry. Forgive me. One day it looked like you were having a bad day and I felt like I should say something, only I didn't. I regret that. You deserve to know you are thought of especially when the days aren't going well.

I read a blog today that kinda goes along with what I was thinking. I really need to see the world through the eyes I've been blessed with:

The Way we See the World

Sometime today, take a few moments out of your busy life and make an attempt at really seeing.

Find something intriguing to focus on and put in the effort to notice the details: shapes, textures, negative spaces, light and shadow, contours, shades of color etc.

Contemplate for a minute, why that detail caught your attention and how it moved you once you took note if it.

Learning to really see the world is a labor common to the inventor, the writer, the leader, the musician, the teacher, the entrepreneur and anyone else who might bear the title of artist.

It's one of the reasons I get irked when people learn I'm a photographer and the first question out of their mouths is "which kind of camera do you use?"

I just point to my eyes.

The magic isn't in the black box, it's in the way we see the world.

Our vision begets creation.

The lenses through which we look determine the world we live in.

R, thank you for giving me a deeper perspective, a clearer lens to view the world. I'm sorry it took me so long to see you for who you really were. I will do my best to see my brothers and sisters around me in a positive and good light. I am surrounded by the most incredible people and I only need to really look at them to see that. Thanks for teaching me that.

Your friend,

Les

Dear Christine,

Dear Christine,

I was just thinking about how nice it is to have you as a sister. One reason I wanted to learn to play the piano is because I have great memories of you playing while we would sing along. We've had some fun times.

And it's great that you live nearby. I love to come by and see you or the kids on the way home from work, or to take them to get snow cones. And it's nice to talk to you on my drive to or from work. And we can laugh about the funniest things.

I don't have many friends who are girls, but it's ok because my sisters are my best friends. I know I can call you and we can go to a movie, or I can drag you out on a walk, or to the store, or I can play my piano songs and you'll encourage me to keep on learning.

I know sometimes life gets hard and it sucks when kids do things like marker the couch or other things, but thanks for staying positive. Sure you go have a good cry, but then you wake up just fine the next day.

Love,

Les

PS. Someday when you have baby #6, feel free to name her after me. :D

Dear Morning

Dear Morning,

You are dark at 5am. And tiring. Leaving me questioning why in the world I signed up to be on call. Right, the money....I suppose there was a reason.

And I'm supposed to run with my mom in an hour. I tried to call and tell her to wait, but she didn't answer which means when I go back to bed she'll notice the call and call and wake me up. Or not notice at all and call and wake me up in an hour.

Oh well, it could be worse. Sleep is overrated right?

Les

Dear R,

Dear R,

Can I just tell you how grateful I am to you for fixing my air conditioner. I didn't even know they had those fuse things in them. And you probably wanted to roll over and laugh when I called it a spark plug. I am totally fine if you do.

And now I can sleep in an air conditioned room. I guess I'll start wearing pajamas again. Ok, so probably not, but I might use a blanket tonight. Pajamas are so overrated anyways.

Anyways, you probably don't know this and you'll probably never get around to reading this, but you are a great example to me. In fact, you make me want to be a better person.

You are so willing to help people. You are kind to people. You work hard, and even when you have the suckiest of days, you still stay calm. Like when the switch kept going out and we kept losing connections nonstop, I could tell you were having a rough day, and you know, I probably would've curled up in a corner and cried at some point, but you didn't. You just kept on going.

I am not so gutsy when it comes to telling people how great they are, so in case you didn't know, you're quality. Thanks for being so awesome.

Someday I hope I marry someone as great as you.

Les