Peter, Marcy, Jed, and Jay

Eight-page handwritten letter on lined three-hole-punched paper.

(Presumably started in late December, but not mailed until early February.)

Dear Folks

Well, I promised you a letter every month and almost missed December. Sorry about not typing. The room is still littered with Christmas wrap and goodies. Try as I might, I have not been able to get all the presents off in a box yet - but I have great hopes for the day after New Years’. Peter says everyone will understand, and I reply, “Probably — everyone but me!” Peter wrenched his back last week and is hardly able to hoist an IBM manual to do his homework, so I can’t ask him to help. Tho I probably will tomorrow.

The presents were utterly lovely. Othello brought gasps of delight from all of us, and I, the onetime undisputed Othello Champion of School Street (on our makeshift set) was promptly whupped in two games in one day. What a blow. Urgh! Tri-ominoes was also greeted with glee - I haven’t sat down and learned how to do it yet. We love the hammock - have to get some hooks & we’ll put it in our beam ceiling. The beams extend outside so it will be perfect for summer lounging. And the nightgown is JUST PERFECT - I’ve slept in it every night ^^from Dec. 25 thru Jan 31 so far^^. xxx Only one thing - the lady in the picture on the xxx package was sitting in a xxx peacock chair, which they neglected to put in the package. Too bad. It was a lovely chair. You can’t imagine how happy I am with this nightgown. It’s absurdly perfect for my needs and fits exactly. Peter got me a watch with a second hand - or rather a third hand - and the boys made me a little teeny shelf—what a satisfying christmas! The other goodies in your package were also loved - Peter was suitably traumatized by the old pictures, and the pine cones were immediately strewn on the tree, where they now remain. The honey coconut spread was very happy that some kind person had put it in a baggie. Otherwise it would have been very embarrased at the damage its leakage could have done. You know how the lady in the deodorant commercial says “It’s working, it’s working!” - ? Well, that’s what the jar says about the baggie. The blowers were really cute but didn’t come anywhere near making it to New Years Eeve. Did I miss anything? Whatever was there was enjoyed, and we all thank you—incessantly? Well, profusely, anyway. And while on the subject of thanks, I want to repeat my gratitude for your prayers. I am very moved and deeply grateful for all the energy you cause to be sent my way.

In the margin, next to the line about the hammock, Marcy added: Got it hung — we all love it. Visitors refuse to leave!

In the margin, next to the line about the peacock chair, Helen wrote: So dear-

In the margin, next to the mention of old pictures, Helen wrote: What old pix?

In the margin, next to the line about the honey coconut spread, Helen wrote: She writes so well

I’m also grateful that so much of your energy is meaning so much to so many people. We xxx told the story of the people with the dogs and the food basket a dozen times at Christmas, and it brought much sadness and happiness to many people. I can’t believe there are so few people doing real service in the world like this, but I can’t help but be grateful that there are so many - and that you are among them.

---

This is the January letter. After talking to you, we got to thinking about prayer and Johrei. We’ve been taught that Johrei is “prayer in action” and it seems to be so for us - but it does not replace the other kind of prayer at all. In fact, it works better when we begin with a clear prayer to be a clear channel, and that the person receiving the Light may be blessed according to his or her need, and according to God’s will. Then we thought that Johrei acts as an enhancer of whatever else is happening. e.g. if a medicine is to help you, recieving Johrei will make it help better and faster and with fewer side effects. (In my case, I did not have to take the additional medication that gets rid of uric acid, which is formed when white blood cells die. Dr. thinks this is due to Johrei.) Thus it enhances prayer. Further, since prayer also helps people to have better results when medication is used (it also acts as an enhancer) then prayer for a person, separate from Johrei, must as a side effect, inadvertently, make it possible for Johrei to be more effective. Thus they enhance each other.

In the margin, next to the line “blessed according to his or her need,” Marcy wrote: Keep reading to get to the point.

In the margin, next to the line “ Thus they enhance each other,” Marcy wrote: The point

Peter says this effect is called synergy. We were both very excited to think of it. Anyway, this is by way of saying that whatever we do that sends (God’s) energy to a person is infinitely helpful, and makes it easier and better for all the food influences to work in a person’s life.

Praying for someone thus makes it easier for fod to help x the person. YAHOO. I feel like that’s a super exciting fact. I knew those prayers were great, but I didn’t realize the potential extent of it.

My beloved friend Sunny, when I spoke to her about this, said there’s a lady in Arcata who keeps her ^^Sunny’s^^ name on on the prayer list of her (the lady’s) Christian Church, and Sunny says it really makes her feel happy.

It does me, too. I am so happy and grateful to know that people are caring for me. It’s hard to pray for someone you don’t know, and to do so regularly is even harder - so I am doubly grateful for these folks I haven’t even met taking the time to send me some of their energy, and some of God’s, too. Please tell them what a good effect they have had - and please, if possible, include me in the circle and tell me whom me whom I can pray for.

It’s actually good that you will come later in the year. Right now we have only the good ol’ motorcycle for a vehicle. Peter rode to work today in an army officer’s coat, khaki, with a long skirt that we folded into leggings with zippers. Really neat.

At the bottom of the legging diagram, Marcy wrote: 3 snaps where leggings fold up and snap under skirt of coat

very much love,

Marcy

Notes

“or rather a third hand”

I love the little jokes that Marcy tosses in in some of her letters. I don’t remember her as joking much in person, but her quirky sense of humor shows through here and there in the letters, and I’m always pleased to see it.

“blower”

Wikipedia says these are also known as the following: party horn, party blower, party pipe, party elephant, party blowout, noisemaker, party whistle, party honker, ta-doo-dah, noise popper, birthday kazoo, whizzer, blow tickler, tongue kazoo, party snake.

medicine

I had been feeling like in other letters, Marcy downplayed or barely mentioned Western medicine as a factor in treating various aspects of her illness, so it was kind of a relief to me to see her mention it in this letter. I knew that she had undergone medical treatments (including chemotherapy, which I don’t think she ever mentions in these letters), but her lack of mentioning such had been making me stressed, for reasons too complicated to go into in this note.

“food” and “fod”

She clearly meant good and God, but no matter how much I try to read those initial letters as g, she very clearly wrote them as f. (Her lowercase f and lowercase g differ mostly by the direction of the upper loop.)