Wyndi Storm Piestala in Arizona writes to her friend in Tennessee after Louisiana Sandusky emailed her.

Friday, May 27, 2005, 2:38 p.m., C.D.T.~

Dear Louie~

Ya tah hay! Thank you for writing; it was so nice to hear from you again, and I loved the beautiful Native American art you included in the letter; the picture was stunning! Where on earth did you find something so breathtaking?

I am feeling a little better today (not much; still in a lot of pain and discomfort; guess I will have this for some time, so I might as well take time and get used to it), but emotionally, I am still a wreck. I got through Wednesday okay, considering it was one year to the DAY when Kurt was murdered so savagely; but I still hurt deeply inside my soul and spirit, and there isn't a moment where I don't wish I still had Kurt by my side. He was such a warm, loving spirit of a man, and it is a shame he had to die so suddenly and so violently.

As for my mother, she is bruised up and sore, but she didn't break anything (much to my surprise!), but Karla has been stressed and uptight about Mother's fall, and ever since, she has been terrified to leave her side, for fear something bad should happen if she wasn't around. I know Mother is elderly and all, but Karla is acting like a Mother Hen, and it concerns me that she doesn't have much of a life, let alone, any friends or interests. She just sits around, feeling sorry for herself or taking care of Mother and eating herself sick. I appreciate any prayers for my mother and Karla that you can offer up to your Heaven; thank you for caring!

The weather here is still ungodly hot: highs in the hundred and TEENS. Yesterday it got up to 110 degrees, and today is projected to be at least 112 to 115 degrees. I am used to the heat, but it is still unbearably hot for my daughter and my mother; they feel the heat much more than I do. I hope we get some rain here; we are starting to get dry here, and I worry about what it will do to the few plants and trees we have here (and trees, I say rather loosely; they are more like SHRUBS!). How is the weather there in Tennessee? I hope it is a lot cooler there than it is here in Prescott!

Thank you for telling me about your children that died; but as you said, they still live on in your hearts and spirit, and nobody can ever take the memories away. But now you have your Rainbow Family of many colors, and your children are absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I got your book today, and I was reading it before I started this letter to you; I am really enjoying it! Thank you again for being so generous! I also loved the pictures of your husband (WOW, is he ever HANDSOME! What tribe is HE from?? He looks like he is Native American!) and your father and late mother (and also step-mother). You have a very lovely family, and I am so glad that you want to write to me! Your letters couldn't have come at a better time!

I am sorry for the loss of your friends in the terror attacks; and I can see your points in regards to the terrorists, but they still are evil, and I don't see how you can forgive them for all the atrocities they did to you and to our nation (or the world as a whole). Because of their hatred, twin towers no longer stand tall and proud in New York City, and the world will never be the same. Now we are at war with an unseen enemy, and men and women are dying for us, and it is a scary, uncertain time! And I am injured because of hate; and that is something I find hard to comprehend--or try to forgive the enemy about. Please accept my condolences on the loss of your friends in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001!

Louie, you will be proud to know that I have set up an appointment with a grief counselor at the VA so I can talk about my problems. Maybe that will help me. I certainly hope so; I can't go on living like this! I nearly destroyed the lives of my mother and daughter, and what should happen to them if I had gone on and killed myself? My daughter is sick, and my mother is elderly, and they have nobody else to care for them! I can't do that, so I must learn to hang on and rely on the spirits to help guide me through my life! Thank you for talking some sense into this screwed up head of mine! I nearly made a fatal mistake that I could never fix!!

Your one daughter, Ronee', is so cute, and so is your son, Johnny, but Ronee' looks like you! Are you SURE she isn't YOURS?? She looks so much like you it is unreal; she can't POSSIBLY be ADOPTED! And Johnny: he looks Albino; his hair and skin is so white! But oh, what a handsome young man he is; he is going to break a lot of hearts when he turns into a teenager! LOL And your daughter, Jodie...what is wrong with her? Why is she in a wheelchair? She looks like she might be a handful, but she is a beautiful little girl as well! Where is she from?

Well, Louie, I know this is short, but I have to help Mother with her bath. I will also have to get Karla from school; today is the last day of school here, and I know she is happy about THAT. School has always been so rough for her! May the spirits bless and guide your path, and thank you again for all that you sent! You are a true friend!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your Arizona friend, Wyndi Storm Sieweyumptewa Piestala. :) (trying to smile through my grief and sadness)