Gifts from Liverpool

I grew up believing that I had an aunt and an uncle living in Liverpool, England, named Lin and Brian. Although they weren't really blood family, every year they would send me Liverpool scarves, banners, and other various knick knacks. This was before I actually understood what made someone an aunt or uncle as opposed to just being a family friend. We would get cards and letters with long letters written in them with that very European way of writing where everything is in print but in a special, almost bubble-like, penmanship.

When I did my study in Italy I found myself without any family or anywhere to stay for Christmas. At the young age of 21 that was a very vulnerable place to be. Although I had never officially met Lin and Brian before they welcomed me into their home without so much as a breath of hesitation.

Lin is my mother's pen pal. Mom won the Scouse penpal on a coin toss with one of her Beatle-maniac friends when she was still very young. Her whole life she wrote to Lin through grade school, high school, graduation, marriage, having children, growing older, children growing older, moving, working, crying, laughing, and through saying goodbye to loved ones. Until pretty recently, they had never met. In fact, I think my mother had either just met Lin in Florida or was only about to meet her there the next summer (I can't remember). Anyway, the point is, I was to go to their house, where even my mother hadn't made it to yet.

Today, I received yet another gift from my family in Liverpool. I say family because by all my purposes they are family. They sent me a very nice black t-shirt with the child faces of Paul McCarteny and John Lennon on the front with the title, "The Long and Winding Road" printed underneath. What a nice reminder of their relationship with my family. I actually found it quite meaningful and put it on at once. I even got a compliment on the t-shirt from the woman who repaired a couple of skirts for me as I picked them up.

Lin and Brian are going to try to make the trip to be at my wedding. They actually were mostly enthusiatic about the possibility of it being in Greece. Perhaps, we will just see them on our honeymoon.

I was also given another gift today- Iowa City was visited by a bright and beautiful double rainbow today. Isn't that nice?

Anyway, it must be my lucky week.

P.S. Kent and I had dance class again today. That means we've made it through the waltz, the slow dance, and the swing dance. Today, we learned the Rhumba. To be honest, we were finding it hard to connect today. I suppose as a couple we still have a lot to learn about reading each other's cues.