Hold That Thought

Actual letter from Fr. Hattie received Tuesday December 8, 2015.

Something unusual: this time I received an actual, paper letter in the mail from Father Hattie. As usual, above is a scan of the letter (I crudely pasted the two sides into one sheet and had to adjust the color to try to capture the actual soft green colored paper) and below is my transcription.

You probably notice that the appearance of the letter looks different from what you might expect. That is because Father manually types his letters on a (manual) typewriter. It can be a challenge (or a game) for some to read the actual letter due to the various conditions of the letters (e.g., too light, overstrikes) or typos. If you find it difficult to read the actual letter (hint: a larger view is available by clicking on the image of the letter above), hopefully, my transcription will help you "read" Father's message. If you notice any mistakes I made, please let me know.

I find it rather ironic (and mysterious) that I received this letter on December 8th and that it is connected to his letter of October 9th. As I previously mentioned, October 9th is the birthday of John Lennon of Beatles fame. The irony is that John Lennon was murdered on December 8th. It seems an unusual coincidence that both letters are associated with those dates. However, I am fairly certain that Father Hattie is not a Beatles or John Lennon fan.

For a list of other letters I have received from Fr. Hattie, see my Fr. Hattie page. You will also find there details on how to contact Father, as well as how to make a donation to help Father's "orphans" in Uganda. It's not too late to send him your own Christmas card.

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Dec. 5, 2015

My dear Rick:     Peace of Christ!

     No better way to begin the day than by thanking you sincerely for your latest kind & generous Gift of $X for our orphans. During the last 6 months many former donors have fallen away, so I'm sending them a Christmas Card as a reminder. Prayers, please.

     My plan* to leave for Africa on Jan. 1 have been botched. On the very day that I was to have spinal surgery, I was found to have cellulitis** in the right leg, and the Dr. was hesitant to perform the surgery. Now I am on antibiotics & the Dr. won't do surgery un[til] there is a complete cure of the cellulitis. And, after surgery I'll have to remain in the USA for 4 months for observation. That means that I'll be going to Africa only at the beginning of May. I guess that the Lord is doing this to tempt my Faith & I think He'll win.

     Just now I'm busy with Christmas Cards, for I must have them in the mail by Dec. 12, since I'll be at my sister's home from Dec. 12-19. Wish me luck.

Many thanks for the Circular+. I am quite familiar with all the projects mentioned.

     Please do pray that I'll finally find my way to the Land of my Dreams. You & the family are in my daily Mass & prayers.

Tons of love & gratitude,                                       

Fr Gene, SJ                            

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* See Father's October 9th letter.
** Cellulitis is a bacterial infection involving the inner layers of the skin.
+ I mailed Father a newsletter from Hope Seeds that reported on their efforts in Africa, including several places in Uganda and Kenya.
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Links:
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/typewriter.aspx
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/10/back-to-africa-please.html
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
http://www.uecon.org
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/10/back-to-africa-please.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulitis
http://hopeseeds.org
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Written Saturday 12/12 2015.