Steve Jobs's message to the world's weary Apple enthusiasts (and the stockholders who love them) today was simple: I'm not dead. The Apple CEO today issued a letter assuring all those concerned that he's alive and fairly well--not only that, he's happy to have been afforded the opportunity to get some quality family time during the holday.

"For the first time in a decade," Jobs wrote in the letter, "I'm getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote."

Jobs also acknowledged the rumors surrounding his weight loss of the past year, agreeing to "share something very personal with the Apple community." The loss he insisted, was not due to a recent return of pancreatic cancer. He also acknowledged that until recently, the cause had been a mystery to him

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause--a hormone imbalance that has been "robbing" me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

Jobs also assured readers that he will "will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO."

The full text of the letter can be found here.