Stuff and more stuff.

First stuff:

His email is in italics, mine plain.
(Beginning of email)

Dear World's Most Persistent Home Teacher

You must have learned by now that this "mere elder" is uncommonly persistent, so I would not begin drafting your exit letter yet. I am not the only one who hopes that you will choose to return to the fullest blessings of the gospel - certainly your Father in Heaven and your Savior have not forgotten you nor your son.

Ummm... don't believe they exist.

What is your story?

None of your business. Ask some of the old ward people and get their impressions if you like. I don't care who talks about me. Of the current ward members Susan A**** probably knows me the best.

I remember from our first memorable conversation that you have family in Utah. Were you raised here? Do you still have family here? How did you end up in Bloomington?

I am from Indiana. The Utah branch are the migrants. My eldest brother went out there in the 80s with one of the computer start-up companies. He's dead now, so you won't find him, and they all have different last names anyway.

You need to give up. There is nothing you can do or say to make me come back. Maybe a million dollars, tax free, but that would only prove that "You can buy anything in this world for money," wouldn't it?

IF (and it's never going to happen) I should decide to repent (which I really don't think is necessary) of my "sins" (which I don't believe they are) and come back to the fold I have plenty of family and friends who REALLY know me, know my story, and would be glad to assist.

Yes, I am a smart-aleck, and I know it. I have asked for no contact and it seems every time everything gets rearranged I get assigned someone who never seems to have heard that. So please respect my wishes or I swear the next time I hear, "anything I can do to help" you will be cutting down trees, weeding Canada thistle, cleaning the garage, shampooing carpets and roofing while I sit inside and play Scrabble on Faceboook. Oh, and I think I need a new deck, too.

Thank you.

Hope
(End of email)

I think this is the snottiest I have ever been to someone but he has been too persistent. One day while I was sleeping, he first rang the doorbell and then knocked for several minutes until I answered. It really pissed me off. He brought his sweet, silent wife and a plate of cookies with him. I said "I am diabetic AND a baker and I have 200 chocolate chip cookies left over from an event in this house and I don't want your cookies." or something like that. Now he is in Utah for the summer. I have to admit that I emailed him first, asking him the one thing he could do for me, which is to keep me informed if anybody in the ward died, because I don't like reading it in the newspaper. So maybe it's my fault for initiating a dialog, but my friend with whom I do still keep contact is the RS President so if somebody dies she is too busy to call me.

Maybe when fall comes and we get all new people here for the school year they will rearrange and I can have some slacker who will be glad to have someone who wants no contact. Then again, it would be nice to get that Canada thistle weeded by somebody else!

He emailed back fairly recently and said that he would respect my wishes and that he would rather ask me my story than hear it from others so he could hear my perspective. That seems nice, but I don't know that I have "a" story. I have thousands of stories. I call them "episodes" when I write them. When they are all complete and put together perhaps they will make a balanced equation... perhaps not. I replied that when my book is published he can pay $24.95 and read my story at the same time as the rest of the world.

It's a little bit sad in some respects because I can tell he is intelligent, well-spoken, kind, and has the best of intentions. I've been there. I've had those same good intentions. I just don't like some kind, well-spoken, intelligent man knocking on my door and offering to help me because it is assigned to him and it is his Priesthood duty.

Other stuff:

Michael wrote an email to his dad today. I am tempted to copy it and let you read it, but that would be a mighty strong invasion of Michael's privacy. It was very honest and emotional. Michael mentioned how much he hates going there, how he wants more time in Bloomington, how Ed's house doesn't feel like a home to him, and some other really important things. As of now, Michael is still here and we have not made arrangements for him to go up there. It makes me a little nervous. I half imagine Ed coming while I am at work and physically forcing Michael to go with him. Michael plans to call his dad about it and talk some more. I hope there is a positive outcome, but I have trouble envisioning what it will be.

Other stuff:

Work was better today. I only worked eight and a half hours. Of course, part of the reason I was able to do that was because I stayed about an hour and a half after I clocked out Friday and cleaned up all the piles on my desk. I sorted them into arranged and labeled piles so that things can be take care of in priority order. Problem is - when do I get time to take care of the piles? Instead I am afraid I will just be adding to them. We'll see, I guess.

Positive thoughts: More positive healing thoughts of hearts and minds and wounded souls everywhere, those whom I know, and those whom I don't.