111- A Letter from Susan

I received this letter within a few weeks of Jeanette’s letter (blog #110). I felt it was very sweet of Jesus to balance the first one out with the second one. He is always very gentle with me.

Susan was another special friend in our church. Praise God, I had not insulted her! She packs a lot into this letter: encouragement that I had strength and wisdom, and assurance that I would give no condemnation; that I was approachable and real and would not judge her. And even an offer to babysit! This is a cherished word, even as I read it today.

July 1983

Dear Georgann, You may think it’s a little strange to get a letter like this, but I really feel like you need some encouragement and I write a lot better than I talk.

For several months I’ve had a gut feeling about going to you with worries or confusion about several things because I feel instinctively that you have a lot of strength and no-nonsense wisdom to apply to areas where I am far too emotional to be objective. I also thought of you because I felt no matter how you saw the issue, even to the point of setting me straight if necessary, that I would not be subjected to any personal condemnation.

When Bobby and I realized we had to take some drastic action to make our marriage work, we had a lot of options and a wide range of people to choose from but both felt he should talk to Dan because you two are making it in the midst of the nitty-gritty of life, rather than making it because there are no problems. And of no less importance, you are approachable and real, and we felt we would suffer the least amount of embarrassment (Christians aren’t supposed to have marital problems).

The only reason I haven’t come to you before is that I haven’t seen an opportunity to talk privately. I probably should have made an opportunity.

At any rate, I don’t think you’re seeing yourself accurately (remember our hearts deceive even ourselves) and what I see is a calm strength and depth of character that is much to be envied.

Lastly, if you want to ditch the kids for an afternoon, I have a big yard and a little dog who just adores kids.

Sincerely,

Susan