Mark writes a senator

Mark had some homework for his Citizenship in the Nation merit badge for scouts.  He had a question for me and I had an epiphany moment where I remembered that I had Braeden in the house.  I released him from weeding and other slave labor duties and instructed him to go help Mark.

Braeden was thrilled and felt like he'd gotten away with something.

I was thrilled and felt like I'd gotten away with something.

Braeden delved deep because that kind of thing is Braeden's Thing.  They were listening to famous political speeches and discussing nuances and at one point, Braeden called upstairs to me, "Mark is doing some real high level thinking here."

Oh good.

Then Mark needed to write a letter.  He decided to write Orrin Hatch, because like Mark knowingly told me, he is the President pro tempore.  This is the effect Braeden has on people.  They start knowing who the President pro tempore is.

They discussed reasons for the letter.  Mark wanted to encourage Orrin Hatch to nuke ISIS.  (That is Mark in a nutshell.) Braeden, who is a pacifist that won't kill a spider, quickly talked him out of that idea.  Mark's final idea was to ask Orrin Hatch's opinion on the newly elected Prime Minister of the UK.

Mark went to type the letter and he asked Braeden, "Should this be a business letter?"

(Because, you see, Mark is a student of the Grandma Dahl School of Typing.)

Mark typed his letter, I went to a meeting and when Adam got home, he helped with final formatting (it had to be perfect) and Mark even wanted to print the envelope like Grandma had shown him.  They got it all done tidily (they measured where exactly to put the stamp) and Mark couldn't wait another minute so he walked it down the street to the mailbox.

I hope whichever aide of Orrin Hatch's opens that letter realizes the earnestness and solemnity that went into it by a twelve year old boy.