Two Good Responses

We received two emails last night, one from my sister (which I'll call sister#1 -- the one who I talked with on the phone yesterday was sister#2) and one from my brother-in-law (BIL#1) and his wife (SIL#1). They were both good. They both showed understanding, love, and respect, and it made for a good ending to a day of emotional turmoil. Seriously, I couldn't eat as much or do as much weightlifting yesterday as I usually can because of all the anxiety.

Sister#1 said she wasn't surprised. I figured she probably wouldn't be surprised that my wife (DW) doesn't believe because DW never was quite able to keep her feminist opinions bottled up during the Christmas break. It is curious to me that sister#1 wasn't surprised about me (at least that's what I think was implied). She is rather observant, and I can't help wondering what she observed about me that made it so that it didn't surprise her. From the description that sister#2 gave me of the household yesterday we had completely knocked the socks off of everyone else. Maybe she felt an evil spirit about me? :-P

Sister#1 also said that she respects our intentions and our search for truth. That earns her a big thumbs up in my book. It feels good to know that our relationship with her is still intact.

BIL#1 also emphasized that they love us and value their relationship with us. They asked for forgiveness in case they unconsciously give offense during this transition.

Both emails expressed love and a desire to continue relationships despite our differences. I'm impressed with them both. I hope that the rest of the family can be as understanding as they have been. No doubt my dad is composing one of the hardest epistles he's ever had to write. I expect this will show up in the inbox within the next day or two.