among friends

My brother, Sean, the photographer responsible for this gem, rode around the entire country on a motorcycle last summer and fall. Here is a link to his blog, If you would like to learn a little, or a lot, more about the purpose of his travels.

Anyways, one of Sean’s first stops on his journey was A Street, in Lowell, Massachusetts. This is the street where my father grew up, in the city most well know for the industrial work that boomed there in the 19th Century. Sean said that most of the residence were new in the area, but there was one woman, Rita, who had lived in a house across the street while my father was growing up. Rita, pictured above, was very warm towards my brother (although they had never met) and even invited him in for dinner and to watch the Red Sox game.

I originally decided to post this picture just because I think it’s pretty amusing. However, after writing out the whole story behind it, I’ve realized that we can all learn from Rita and the way she was so hospitable towards a stranger.