Obviously, it was one of the most precious letters I'd received in my life, showing a glimmer of the impact I had on the students of Holmen High School. I saw in it two keys to getting through this upheaval... first in the third paragraph: "No matter how many people stand in your way, never give up. You never know what is in your future, but with coping skills, you can get through it, you can overcome it, and you can live on." The other key was the letter as a whole... I had 300 people who truly cared about me, because they knew I truly cared about them.

(Incidentally, this is the second time this letter has found its way to my website. I included it in my School News portion of the site last October. When the principal saw it, he didn't congratulate me or have anything positive or encouraging to say about how I'd touched my students' lives... his only comment was, "Did you have her permission to put it on your site?" I did.)

The following week I took a personal day from school to go to court. The restraining order I'd filed was an injunction, a temporary one, and the court would decide if it would become permanent.

My sister came up for moral support. She was baffled at the proceedings. Kari said that I disgusted her and admitted not only to threatening to put a slug through my head but also that the gun was within arm's reach. Judge Roger LeGrand ruled on the bases that since...

1. There was only this one threat,
2. The gun was mainly used for target practice, and
3. She didn't specifically state it would be that particular gun she was going to use...

...that there was no need for a permanent restraining order. It was further ruled that with a sheriff's deputy escort, I'd be allowed 30 minutes later that night in order to remove my clothing and personal effects from Kari's house. Furniture was not to be touched and I'd have to file through small claims court for their dispensation or reimbursement.

Continue...