Old Friends in Lidkoping

This morning, we left Stockholm and drove 4 hours west to the small town of Lidkoping where old family friends, Sofia and Thomas Svanstrom live with their two children, Ludvig and Vilma.

We first met Sofia around 1990 when she came to live with us and help us with then-two-year-old Jennifer. From the day Sofia joined us, our lives improved immeasurably, not only because she was gentle and kind with our infant daughter, but also because she taught us the value of exercise, healthy eating, and most important, a positive and sunny outlook.

When I would come home from work, Jennifer was always happy. During the year that Sofia lived with us, I didn't feel the usual guilt of leaving her to go to work because I knew she was in good hands. Jennifer was so sad to see "Phio" leave that she became ill, one of the few times she did so in her life.

We have seen Phio three times since 1990. First, she returned to visit us as a young bride on her honeymoon with Thomas, a tall, good-looking young man who served in the Swedish Air Force. They reminded us tonight that we hosted them in our Florida home and gave them a wedding present of a night in a Boca Raton hotel. I had forgotten that. We visited them shortly after in Sweden, perhaps a year later.

Phio came back to the U.S. as a young mother in December, 2008. We met Phio and Thomas in Florida where we were introduced to young Ludvig and to Vilma, his sister. It is clear to me that Phio was destined to become a great mom, and I could see this in the tender way she dealt with her daughter, a special needs child, as well as the way she nurtured her son. On this trip, we celebrated Phio's complete recovery from a battle with breast cancer.

The children have given us their rooms so that we can stay in their home with them. Vilma has drawn pictures welcoming us to her house. Phio and Thomas have cooked for us and promised us a great evening tomorrow with the rest of their family, complete with traditional Swedish "punsch" songs.

While the main reason we came to Sweden this summer was to get to know our new relatives in this country of polite and reserved people, we are grateful for the opportunity to be with our old friends. Phio and Thomas tell me people are surprised that we have kept up the relationship for 20 years over a great distance. But you don't let people like Phio, Thomas, and their children leave your lives. You keep them close, like all precious things, and never let them go.