Dear Condoleezza

Dear Dr. Rice,

May I call you Condoleezza? May I call you Condie? Perhaps that's a little too personal.

Thank you for coming and speaking to the students of Brigham Young University today. Your words were inspiring, and it was a privilege for us to hear from you. I hate to admit that I am not up to date concerning politics. I did know that you were the Secretary of State at one time, but I have no idea what you did for our country during that time. I wonder if I would have appreciated you as a politician. I would like to think so.

You were quite charming this morning, and I was enraptured by your words. I got upset when the audience would begin to applaud after you proposed specific thoughts and opinions. I didn't want them to interrupt you. However, I cheered enthusiastically when you thanked our service men and women. I teared up a little as I thought of my Uncle Steve, my cousins, Hans, Davis and Francesca, and my friends including Mike. I appreciated your sincerity and your worry about the state of our country, but mostly I appreciated your optimism in these dark times. Thank you for having such faith in us as the future, and our ability to do our part in this world. What you said is true, "It doesn't matter where we came from, it only matters where we are going." Most importantly, thank you for encouraging us to continue to integrate our faith and our reason, as they are integral parts of us internally.

I was honored to be there to hear you speak today. I don't care if people were protesting your presence on our campus today, or if people protest your existence at all. We needed your words today.

Sincerely,

Kelly Marie