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<DIV><FONT size=2>"I don't deserve this." Usually when we say
that, we're complaining.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>This weekend, over and over again, we
found ourselves reacting that</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>way. When we arrived onsite and found that our household
and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>several friends had gone in to acquire for us a new Spinning
Winds</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>round pavillion to camp in permanently, and that Daniel had
made</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>us a new bed, we knew that nothing we could do would ever
deserve </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>such</FONT><FONT size=2> generosity. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>The first time we saw the work Stella & Arabella were
putting in on</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Galen's tunic, when we saw the heralds' tabards that
Siobhan made</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>and the banners that Lavina and especially Juliana
made, we knew</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>that we could never deserve to have such wonderful and
talented</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>people put in so much work to make us look so very
good.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>When we offered to serve as Baron and Baroness, and when
Their </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Majesties, after</FONT><FONT size=2> polling the
barony, selected </FONT><FONT size=2>us, we knew that we </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>could </FONT><FONT size=2>never deserve the honor of sitting
in Elfsea's baronial thrones.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>When we think of how much easier the task of serving as
Baron</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>and Baroness will be because of the example of Llywelyn &
Xene, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>the finest </FONT><FONT size=2>Baron & Baroness we've ever
seen in any barony, we </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>know that </FONT><FONT size=2>we don't deserve such an
easy row to hoe.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>When we consider all the hard work put in by Fearghus,
Raimond, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Nicolette, Timothy, Innes, Armand, Mara, Virgil, Layla,
Kerrick, Ceatta,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>and </FONT><FONT size=2>so very many others</FONT><FONT
size=2> to put on this event, in spite of the (to put it </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>mildly) inclement weather</FONT><FONT size=2> of Friday, so
that this event could go off </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>so smoothly, and the efforts</FONT><FONT size=2> -- great
and small -- of all the many people </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>who participate in the day-to-</FONT><FONT size=2>day running
of the barony</FONT><FONT size=2>, we know that</FONT><FONT
size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>we could never deserve to have </FONT><FONT size=2>such a
wonderful barony to be Baron </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>and B</FONT><FONT size=2>aroness of.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>We cannot deserve this. But we can appreciate
this. And we</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>can strive to make sure that you, our many friends, the
populace </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>of our great barony and its cantons and college,</FONT><FONT
size=2> the Crown, and </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>God, never repent the kindness we have been shown. And
we </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>can pray for the grace to never forget to do what we can,
never</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>forget to strive and appreciate, and never instead begin
believing </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>wrongly</FONT><FONT size=2> that we can or do
deserve any of this.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>You deserve our best, and we are determined to deliver our
best</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>effort as Baron and Baroness of Elfsea. And you deserve
to know</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>how very grateful we are to so very many people, for this
barony,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>this great </FONT><FONT size=2>honor and for the wonderful
fashion in which we've been </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>launched</FONT><FONT size=2> in this </FONT><FONT size=2>new
office.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Life surely is Good in Elfsea</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>- Galen & Allessandra</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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