DO82825 May 1979

1. I HAD THE CUTEST LITTLE DREAM. (Maria: The Family Newsletter?) Yes! I saw this sheet of paper like a long legal-size typing paper, like we used to use long ago when just my little family was on the road & I used to get out a little prayer letter every month. I think you helped me get out one once. (Maria: Uh-huh.) We got it out in the Cruiser, remember? We usually put in little photos, snapshots & pictures & things, you know, along with various tid-bits about the family & what we had been doing that month & all.

2. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS, believe it or not, this family‚ our family here, our staff & all. (Maria: Somebody suggested that one tine, I think, to have a little news of around here.) And each person was writing their own little item. I remember seeing Peter's picture & he said, "I'm Peter & I'm the business manager & I do so–&-so," just telling the news. I figured a good name of that might be "Life with Father" or something like that. (Maria: That's cute!) What their life was like living with us. You know, a lot of them have written little notes & letters like that.

3. BUT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS JUST LIKE A REGULAR NEW NEWSPAPER we were getting out every month, & each person was telling what it was like to live with us & about what we do & little bits, telling about our schedule & about how Jewel said‚ "Well, I go shopping & I do the cooking & I take care of children" & so on. Each one was writing from their stand point—not us writing about them or for them—each was writing what they wanted to write about what it was like in our family & what they did. (Maria: Oh, that sounds really cute!) They were writing a little bit about each other, too. In other words, our little family from their viewpoint, each one of them describing what the family was like, & describing each person in the family.

4. IT'S LIKE EACH TIME A DIFFERENT PERSON WROTE IT. They had little items in it from different people & each time a different person would, I guess you'd say, edit it & each month got it together. I can see it so clearly! I woke up so happy! It was so cute!—Little pictures of our little family & our little things, all about the different ones.

5. IT'S SORT OF LIKE THE DAVIDITO LETTERS, but only that's all from his standpoint, on child training & all that. But this is just like a little newsletter about us & our lives, what we do, just a little real‚ personal, intimate touch about us & how we live & what we do & little things that happen—just a little newsletter about us!—About the Royal Family. (Maria: Yes, I had always thought that it would be a help to the kids. Something like that, because some don't know how to get organised or how to do certain things‚ real specifically.)

6. WE HAVE WRITTEN A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT OUR FAMILY, about safety measures & about Dave's handyman letters & the dietary letters & the childcare letters—all kinds of news about our family & how we live & how we eat & how we take care of things & things we like. I think Dave's letters have been a real blessing, & then the letters by Sara, usually about mostly childcare & diet & so on—& I've written them & you have written things. But this is just a little regular newsletter that it seemed like we got out once a month. I can see it so plain & I was reading items by the different ones.

7. IT WAS SORT OF LIKE THEIR SLANT ON THE FAMILY, how they looked at the family & what they thought about each person in the family & how they sized each one up. I was thinking afterwards how Path would be a good one for that, she's a pretty good writer‚ & maybe she could edit & organise it & they could all contribute & work on any ideas—sort of to give the world a personal glimpse into our intimate little family & just how we live, & some of the late different news events that happened in our family, & stuff like that. It comes out quite often, like even the Malta story.

8. I THINK THEY'RE REAL GOOD BECAUSE THERE ARE FEW WHO REALLY KNOW the things we have to go through, constantly moving & being concerned about security & all. Well‚ I think that's going to do the Family good. (Maria: Oh, yes!) It was so clear, I can see it so plain. (Maria: It sounds really cute.) It just looked like one of the old prayer letters that we used to get out. I only saw one side, I was just looking at one side. The funny part about it was it was horizontal like this, so it could have been something that folded like that, like our four-pagers, you know. I have an idea you're going to easily have enough to fill up one of the four-pagers—like the Letters we're getting out right now—with pictures & everything.

9. (MARIA: LIKE HOW DAVIDITO HELPED ALFRED IN THE GARDEN TODAY & he got half a sunburned nose. It was really funny! These cute little things, their battles, wounds for the day.—And how Davida turned around too fast & banged her head into the wall & had a great big bump & red mark on her forehead, so when Sara came home, these were their battle wounds for the day. Little tiny things like that which are just funny!)

10. THE WHOLE IDEA WAS, IT WAS SORT OF LIKE EACH PERSON WAS WRITING THEIR OWN LITTLE THING, SEE?—Describing themselves & what they're doing, & they were also describing the other people, sort of like their outlook on the others & their opinions of them & what it was like to them, you know? It's like: "Well, here's what it's like to me to be living in the family."—Life with Father! I don't know why I had that dream‚ it was as clear as anything.

11. I SAW PICTURES, JUST A FEW PICTURES, & each one was telling about their work & their life in the family. Little things, you know, how I read that gossip column in the paper every day, because all those little things about famous people, people just eat up!—People just eat up every little tiny tid–bit, every move they make, the slightest little thing‚ whatever!—Anything that happens to them at all is news! It's back-page news & not front-page, it's back-page, ha!—Telling about all their little escapades & problems & whatnot.

12. BUT IT GAVE ME SUCH A HAPPY FEELING, it was so interesting & I thought, "Oh‚ the kids would just love that!" They're always hearing my Letters, you know‚ & they hear your Letters & they hear Sara's letters & I don't know, maybe it was a result of that Malta thing, but that's really good! That Malta story is really good! Alfred is telling part of it in his own words & then Path's telling part of it, & our kids are smart! I mean‚ they really can talk good! They don't have to write it, they can just dictate it into a tape recorder.

13. (MARIA: YES, ALL THE LITTLE THINGS like the fact that we put blankets up over our bedroom window to keep the sun out.) Yes! You don't have to use those costly shutters & awnings & stuff, just hang a blanket over the window! (Maria: Something we would probably never tell them otherwise‚ just little odds-&-ends.) Just like a little family newsletter about the little things that are in our family & our life & the way we live & eat, & even our recreation.

14. WE CAN CALL IT "ROYAL FAMILY NEWS", how's that? (Maria: I think that's a tremendous idea‚ it's so cute!) It wasn't my idea at all! I got it in a dream, just as clear as anything, I could see it & each person was writing their own little article, you know‚ each member of the family. (Maria: And how Justus made homemade ice cream for Sara's birthday & how we gobbled it down, & Mom & Daddy had two cups! Ha!) You know how much fun we had to go out for one evening with the family & to buy ice cream for each one—that was a big event! I mean, that was a big thing! Probably a lot of our Family go out like that nearly every day & they don't think anything of it‚ but that was a big event for us, you know?—We all went out & sat in a restaurant, at a table, & actually had ice cream!—How about that?—And somebody even got a banana split!—That was a real luxury!

15. I THINK SOME OF THEM WOULD BE RATHER SHOCKED at how really simply we live & frugally, & I think they'd even be interested, no matter what it was. Usually they copy everything we do‚ I think they would model their whole lives by the way we do things. (Maria: Ummmm, Lord help us!) I could describe my daily schedule. The kids would probably get a big kick out of how I sit on the toilet for about an hour in the morning & read Komic books! Ha-ha! (Maria: Yes‚ that would be really great.)

16. (THAT'S GREAT! IT'LL GIVE ME SOME INCENTIVE TO KEEP A LITTLE LOG‚ at least notes.) Well, you can read my log if you want to. (Maria: Well, you don't keep little tiny things like putting blankets up on the windows & putting up a new picture that you received in the mail today.) Yes, a new nudie–cutie!

17. YES, YOU COULD DESCRIBE HOW DAD DOESN'T HAVE ROOM FOR A BEDSIDE TABLE because our bedroom is so small, so he opens the closet door & he puts his stuff on the closet shelves. He fixes his nudie-cuties on the inside of the closet door so whenever he opens it at night, why‚ he can see them. (Maria: Because during the day you can have it closed.—And how you dropped your barometer on the floor & it didn't work for several days.) Until I fixed it. Little tiny things that aren't big enough news to make Letters or anything, you know.

18. (MARIA: WE KEEP OUR BEDROOM DOOR OPEN WITH A FORK.) Yes, we found a fork is a very good door wedge for under the door. We were looking out for something to put in our door for a wedge. I saw this fork, & I just shoved it in the door & it worked perfectly ever since.—All those little things‚ I think they would get a kick out of them.

19. IF EACH ONE WOULD JUST DESCRIBE THEIR DAILY LIFE, their usual day: "My Day." In fact, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if one person's description of their average day would take up a whole issue, you wanna bet? "My average day—here's the way I live." Most of us have a fairly regular schedule. We do about the same things everyday, those of us who live at home, at least.—And even Alfred, he has a pretty regular schedule, going out shopping & stuff.

20. I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING FOR EACH ONE to describe their work & their job & what it's like, how they would describe it is like living in our family, & the things they like, & even the things they don't like. (Maria: Yes, that would be great!) What an event it is, probably, when I come down to dinner & stuff like that! We couldn't be too specific about how we go out to the bus, even though they'd get a kick out of that‚ how we carry a camp chair to the bus, that I had to sit on waiting at the bus stop. That would show that we ride busses. I mean, a lot of people ride busses. (Maria: Except I wouldn't say about the chair because...) No‚ no, that's a dead give-away, that's what I mean, we couldn't say anything about that, because nobody does that! Ha! They'd be looking at every bus stop for me sitting in a chair! I probably couldn't tell about my crutches, either. A lot of people have seen me on crutches, somebody might remember. (Maria: Yes, that's true.) Well, anyway‚ that was the general idea.

21. THE ARTICLE I WAS READING WAS ABOUT PETER. There was this cute little picture of him standing there in his business suit, & he looked about like that picture that you put in with him in the hospital, & he was saying, "My name is Peter & I'm the business manager & I do so-&-so & so-&-so."—And how he liked living in the family & so on. (Maria: Yes, "I'm Peter Peter, Pumpkin Eater!—And Dad had a dream about me the other night!—I had a wife & I couldn't keep her! Put her in a pumpkin shell (WWMM) & there I kept her very well!") The kids would just eat it up! (Maria: They'd love it!) They'd love it, & all those little tales about our everyday life & the little things that happen.

22. SARA, OF COURSE, WRITES EXTENSIVELY ABOUT DAVIDITO & his life, & you write about your pregnancy & the baby & all that. That's little specifics along those lines. You & me & Sara: We're the ones who write everything, & the other members of our staff, they never get to say anything or get anything in the news‚ hardly ever. Some of the kids have already raved about those little tiny notes from people who have lived with us, they get all excited about those, how funny they were to hear about how we live & how simply that we live & everything, & the love in the family & all that. I think it would be good.

23. ALL I KNOW IS THAT I HAD A DREAM ABOUT IT & THAT'S IT! But I woke up afterward & I felt so happy & thinking, "Oh, how nice! The kids would really love that! They get a nice insight into the sanctum-sanctorum of the Royal Family & how we live & what we do & what kind of people we have on our staff & the way they see it", you know‚ working for us & with us. I think it's a great idea. Don't give me any credit for it, I just dreamed it.

24. WELL, WE'LL HAVE TO GET EVERYBODY IN THE FAMILY BUSY on writing their testimony now‚ thinking about the kids out there & the things they have to go through & all that, & sort of make it their testimony & how they managed to make it. After all, the people who wound up on our staff are the ones that are most loyal & trusted & faithful & worthy, & it would be a great sample to the kids out there, I think: "How come they made it?—How come they got there?"—And so on.

25. THERE'S A LOT IN THE BIBLE ABOUT STAFF MEMBERS, different characters & their backgrounds & life stories & their training & how they finally made it, right? That would be really interesting to tell what kind of people we have working with us & their own personal testimony & how they joined the Family, & different things like that.—What was it like to get an invitation from us to come work for us? I mean, I think each member of the staff could write a whole letter, a four-page letter on their own personal testimony & how they happened to join us. And in their next issue, they could probably fill up a whole letter just describing what their life is like in the family. (Maria: That's good.)

26. I THINK IT WOULD BE FASCINATING TO THE WHOLE WORLD & all the Family, what kind of people we have working with us & their individual background in the world before they got saved, their salvation & how they joined the Family & their history in the Family, & finally their history of joining us!

27. EACH ONE COULD GIVE THEIR TESTIMONY to see how the Lord worked in their life & prepared them for this job, & how they happened to get onto out staff. They could write their testimony & you could write a little something‚ too, a footnote about how you happened to hear about them & why you were interested, & why you sent for them to try them out and so on. It might encourage all of them to think that maybe there is a chance for them someday! (Maria: Yes.) We've had an awful lot of different people working for us.

28. MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO USED TO WORK FOR US to write in little articles, like Ana & different ones. (Maria: Oh‚ that's great!)—And what they are doing now. I think maybe Dave could even write an article about how he first came to be with us, his personal testimony & all, & from different people who are now on our staff, & people who have been on our staff before. I mean, we would have enough of those to keep going for a year, just the testimonies of our people! (Maria: Ana put hers in already!—"The first night I went to bed with Dad!") Yes, she already got hers in! She was bound to be first! (Maria: Yes!)

29. (OH, HONEY, THAT'S GREAT! Thank You Lord!) Thank the Lord! I just had the dream, so don't give me any credit for it. (Maria: That's so exciting!) OK, who do we have first? (Maria: Well, they can decide!)—So who'll be the next?—You?!—Write it TODAY! Amen?—We'll love it!—Thanks!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family