Nov 5, 2001

Hello Brieanna,

It's been a while since I've written.  I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy.  We just finished with Halloween.  Asher was a ghost and Seth was a pumpkin.  I took them trick-or-treating around our neighborhood.  They got a ton of candy and probably ate too much.  

This summer we had an amazing vegetable garden.  It was probably the best of my life.  We dedicated a large portion of our backyard to it.  I planted about 40 tomato plants, and ended up canning about 100 jars of tomatoes and salsa.  I also dried quite a few.  The dried ones make excellent pizza sauce.  I let them soak in water and then puree them in a blender.  It gives a very rich sauce almost like tomato paste that you buy from a can.  

Utah is in the middle of a draught, and so there has been very little rain or snow.  Usually there is snow this late in the year, but today is warm and sunny.  I took Asher and Seth to the park after church and the played on the monkey bars.

I read an interesting book this last week by CS Lewis, called the "Problem of Pain".  Many people ask how God could possibly allow so much suffering in this world.  He explains that pain exists because God has given us the right to choose.  Therefore some choose to hurt others.  In some ways pain and suffering is a positive thing, because it allows us to stop and examine ourselves, and helps us to repent of our misdeeds. Pain is one of the last ways to reach those who are arrogant.   You can really see this happening in our country right now after the bombing disaster.  More than ever people are turning back to God, and repenting.  

Melanie is very pregnant with your new sister.   I'll post some pictures of her after she is born.  Who knows she may even look like you.  I kind of look like my sister through my eyes.  The baby is due for Christmas day. 

Melanie wrote a song for you and put it on her last music album.  You can listen to it by clicking here -> "Lullaby For Brieanna". Melanie loves you as her own child, and misses you as much as I do.  I wish you were here with us, because Melanie would be a great example for you.  It saddens me that you have been robbed of all of the relationships with your family.

I wish I had more to say. My life is calm, and consists mainly of work, so there is little for me to say, other than that I love you, and look forward to seeing you again.

Love,

Daddy