Hello Again,

 I’ve missed hearing from all of you and thought that if I send out a note letting you all know how we are doing, I might have the opportunity to hear how all of you are doing! ;-)

Jacob has selected the college that he will be attending next year! He had a really tough decision between UC Berkeley, Yale, Brown and Stanford but ultimately decided on Yale. He really wanted to go back east to experience that lifestyle and so a lot of his decision was based on that. We were all so blessed by the many people that helped us during this critical time with financial aid packages, applications, personal profiles and the many other unique requirements that each institution had. Peggy, Helen and others all went out of their way to give him as much information as possible to make his decision and without them he/we would have been completely overwhelmed.

On June 15th Jacob will graduate with honors from Valley Christian High School and will also have the opportunity to speak at the ceremony. On June 16th we will be having a party for him that all are invited to attend. It will be at my mother’s house, 7584 Sutton Lane in Dublin. It is A potluck, so if you can make it, please bring a dish to share with others. We hope to see you there.

Mom is keeping very busy with her EmpowerNet business, her health, and the charismatic convention that is coming up at the end of the month. We had a bit of a scare a few weeks ago, when mom noticed the right side of her face going paralyzed. We quickly took her into emergency, got the prayer chain going, and after 3 hours of EKG’s, CAT scans, blood work, and a few other tests, they discovered that she did NOT have a stroke but instead had Bells Palsy which is a temporary paralysis of the face that can last between 1-6 months. She also had extremely high blood pressure (250/110) which she had no idea about. So, we took the experience as a warning sign for her to get her blood pressure down and take better care of herself. Already, in less than 4 weeks, her blood pressure is down to 150/80 and the Bells Palsy is completely gone. So, we have been blessed by the experience already, and she is getting healthier through the situation as well. The only challenge we continue to have is finding a company that will give her medical insurance because she is considered high risk. She currently does not have any. If anyone has any ideas on helping me to find a company that will give her an individual plan or can include her in a group plan (maybe for small business owners?) I would appreciate it. I’ve been looking and haven’t had much success.

The convention that my mom is working at the end of the month is the one her, my dad, Beverly, Jacob, Krystle and Jaclyn have been involved in for many years, The Northern California Catholic Charismatic Convention in Santa Clara. Jacob will be taking Dad’s place in the audio tape ministry area and Jaclyn will be taking Jacob’s place. We will also be setting up a table with Dad’s speaking engagements and articles (tracks) at the convention for people who are interested. From what I understand the closing mass will also be dedicated to Dad, which will be a blessing. Please send some extra prayers to the family as we all take on the project that Dad used to lead.

Mom’s EmpowerNet business is going well. She is very excited about it, and is again talking to lots of people about how it is helping her through this past crisis. We met with the person who creates the herbs last month and it was fascinating to here his vision and conviction in the products.

I have been keeping busy with projects related to my dad’s work and the family. I am deep into a book that I had hoped to write after my father’s death in September. The current title is “LAFPDL  - A family’s journey” and starts in 1971 before Dad started his walk of faith and will end in the year 2000 when he died. I am about a third of the way into it and see where I am going with it. It is the family’s life, through my eyes. It has been wonderful in the healing process and I look forward to sharing it with others if it is meant to be. The next book I want to create will be a biography of my father’s life. I’ve also been approached about doing a documentary on his life, that I am very interested in as well. So, we’ll see how it all unfolds. I’ve been able to keep the website up and still hope to use it as an avenue to continue to share his work with others. I’ve added all of Dad’s articles, speaking engagements, and a video that Mike Lorelli put together of Dad doing prayer and praise. You can see all of it at www.lafpdl.com and go to the “Pat’s Work” section of the site. It is slow going, but I am still moving forward on it.

A group of us are also doing a fundraiser for cancer called Relay for Life in Dublin on June 9-10, 2001 in memory of my sister. Jacob was approached to do it by a gentleman from the Dublin Chamber of commerce and when he told Jacob about it, I thought it sounded like a great thing to do to honor Bev since we grew up in Dublin. There is a candlelight vigil at 10pm the first night where we do dedications for the people we’ve lost which will also be nice. The team name is LAFPDL.com. Anyone interested in coming out to join us, or cheer us on, or sponsor us would be great! More details are on the website at www.lafpdl.com, click on the “Relay for Life” description on the homepage.

The rest of the family is doing well. Pat is still in school and is a god-send for my mother, helping her around the house with the millions of things that come up. He is getting married this week to his girlfriend of 7 years, Judy. Krystle and Jaclyn are busy finishing up school. Rudi is about to graduate with her Masters degree this weekend. Jordan is busy trying to learn every word possible, and keep up with her 2 older sisters. So, life does go on, doesn’t it…

Most of the family has been attending bereavement groups through hospice, local churches and on-line support groups and we have been blessed by the experiences we’ve had. Where am I emotionally? I believe that there is some good that MUST come from every situation and I am not going to let Bev and Dad’s death’s be in vein - if that makes any sense... So, I continue to embrace the grief and stare at it straight on to be sure that I fully learn everything I can from this chapter in my life. It is the most scary, real, confusing, depressing, and awakening moment that I have ever experienced. Every day is new, every day is completely unknown to me. My feelings, emotions, reactions, and relationships will never be the same - this I have now come to understand and embrace. I am learning to live a new life with faith, hope and love for the journey put before me, truly understanding the meaning of living one day at a time, and knowing the real meaning of stepping into the unknown and trusting that God is taking care of me even when I feel totally alone, and knowing that he will form me into a better person for all that that he has given me in this life.

Thank you again for all your love, prayers and support. We very much appreciate all of you.

Please take the time to write back and let us know how you are doing. I share all emails with my mom. She isn’t home very often so it is not easy to get a hold of her on the home phone number. The best way to reach her is in the mornings or through a note in the mail.

Take care and god bless,

Dianna Mullins