Four Years of "Dear Bro Jo"

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the Four Year Anniversary of Dear Bro Jo!

A couple weeks ago we passed the 200,000 mark for page reads . . . I'm still trying to fathom that . . .

I just wanted to quickly say Thank You.  I hope that as you've read "Dear Bro Jo", and shared it with your family and friends, that you've been helped or found inspiration here and there, that your confidence, testimony, and relationships have grown stronger, and that perhaps you've found a little entertainment, too.

I've loved getting to know some of you, been inspired by your testimonies of the Savior and His Atonement, and encouraged by your . . . well, courage . . . as you face the ups, downs, twists and turns that is this road we're all on.

I hope that if I've offended you (and I realize that may be a very big number of people) that you've been able to dismiss and forgive the offense.  I know my bluntness and helicopter-parent like concern can come across harshly . . . I don't mean to excuse that, but I do figure that you'll know that's how I am, flawed that I may be, and accept at least that "harshness" is delivered with love and genuine concern.

As I've said often, even Sister Jo doesn't agree with everything I say and write, but at least you know that I'll never lie to you, talk down to you, or treat you like you're incapable of handling the truth as I see it.

I appreciate that you allow me to do what I do, and have helped me gain in readership as you share the existence of this column with those that you care about.

Thank you for putting up with my misspellings, grammatical errors, and writing style oddities as I've tried through this medium to convey tone and emotion.

Lastly, I'd like to say how much I've enjoyed meeting those of you've I've been lucky enough to meet.  At firesides . . . airports . . . Church events . . . restaurants . . . you've always been kind, and it has increased my testimony that people are basically good, and we're all in this together, each of us just wanting to find Joy and Eternal Happiness.


May the Lord bless you all that Love and Joy,

- Bro Jo