Thank you for “My body is not a prayer request” and “Autism pastor: disabled folks opt out” (Aug. 26). We need to rec­ognize God’s work in these triumphs of faith. Here is one more story: As the wife of a Mennonite pastor and an immobilized, bedridden arthritic, my mother, Amanda Dahlenburg Friesen, was known for her joyful and encouraging spirit. My father, Jacob Friesen, was her principal caregiver for 40 years while together they raised a family. She will receive a posthumous “poet of merit” award from the South Dakota State Poetry Society on Sept. 24. In addition to her self-published work, she contributed to The Mennonite and Mennonite Weekly Review. 

We plan to distribute her story at the celebration on Sept. 24. A free copy will be made available to anyone upon request by email from me at frie008@umn.edu. The title page reveals more of the story: ­“Vignettes of Trauma and Triumph. A Mother’s Domain in the House of the Father. Crippling disease, prison and psychiatric confinement. A center of pain immersed in a circle of love. The story of a South Dakota Mennonite pastor family (1936-2002).”

Philip E. Friesen, Minneapolis