David,

We've been following, as best we can, your journey of discovery regarding all the papers you found concerning your family's connections to Japan and your assembling it all into a narrative. I remember listening intently to an interview in which you described unearthing the voluminous amount of documents. Talk about finding unexpected family treasures and precious links to the past! I can't help but think that you viewed your undertaking as both a debt owed to your past relations and a gift for all the present and yet to be born Baerwalds. Not to mention the rest of us. Would that be a fair characterization? Would you be willing to take questions here? I certainly understand if you are disinclined to.

Thanks,

Peter T.