Last week, my daughter, Laura, shared a recent experience in a family email. After I read the email, I asked Laura if I could publish what she said in my Adoration Letter. She said yes. Laura is 26 years old and was recently involved in a play at a local community theater. I changed the name of her friend to protect her friend’s privacy. Here’s the email:
The psychiatry journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Psychiatry) recently published the results of a study that revealed that people who are at high risk of depression and believe that religion or spirituality is important are less likely to suffer from depression. The results of the study showed that the cerebral cortex of each of the brains of the people who were less likely to suffer from depression was thicker. The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the brain.
On Christmas morning, my wife sent a text message to me and our children with a link to a YouTube video. The beginning of the video showed images from the first Christmas. The audio that played in the background was from the segment of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” where Linus recited the famous passage from the Gospel of Luke: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them….”
There’s a business on Main Street in downtown Peoria, across the street from the courthouse, called The Nut House. The inside of the business consists of a tiny storeroom that is lined with glass display cases along three sides. Inside the display cases are numerous trays and jars that contain different types of candy and nuts. On top of the display cases and on shelves attached to the walls are decorative jars that are also filled with candy and nuts. There are at least 200 different items on display that a customer can choose from.
My oldest daughter, Anna (30 years old), has been married for nine years. She and her husband, Josh, have four children, all of whom are under the age of eight. Anna recently sent an email to everyone in our family with a suggestion:
Last week I told you about the first auto accident injury case that I tried in front of a jury. I won the case despite being up against a trial attorney who had more than 30 years of experience, compared to my two years of experience. I told you about how I was like a fearless teenager who takes risks he shouldn’t take and jumps into situations he shouldn’t be involved in. Because of my youthfulness and lack of experience, I didn’t have any fear of going up against the older more experienced attorney.