hugs and kisses from the other side of the rainbow...

(Mom, Dad, & Thomas you will all have to make any corrections/additions to this memory of mine; admittedly it's kind of fuzzy.)

************

A long time ago from a country far far away came a strict Austrian by the name of Thomas. As the story goes, Thomas was a theater student from Vienna who was to stay with a family in Lawrence and attend the University of Kansas studying theater, set design, lighting, ya know all the good stuff that goes along with being in the "theah-tah", as my mother would say. Something happened after Thomas touched down in Kansas City and instead of staying with the family he was assigned to, he wound up staying with...that's right...The Unruh's (also known as "The Stupid's"). Oh Lord, help the man. ;)

Now, admittedly I do not remember a *whole* lot about Thomas's time with us, I was pretty little as you can see in the pictures, but what I *do* remember are the following things...







*Thomas fell in love with us, with Lawrence, with the Wizard of Oz, and with the lovely idea that rainbows connect us and the ones that we love.
*We fell in love with Thomas.
*I have been told I took some of my first steps into Thomas's arms.
*I called him "Tom-eece".
*He traveled on a family cross country trip to Montana and loved the idea of "The Stupid's", "tinkle stops" and "gift shopping". God Bless the man for driving cross country not only with my family with but with the version of my family that involved 3 children!
*He showed up in Kansas City a strict Austrian with very formal manners and dressed in a "3 piece suit" and left having been "Midwestern-ized" and "Unruh-ized" in flip-flops, cut off shorts, and a Wizard of Oz t-shirt.

:)

I had the opportunity in college to travel to Vienna and see Thomas, his beautiful family, and his beautiful city with my family. It was so cool being there, seeing him, where he lived, his life; I believe we even spent Christmas in Vienna. *sigh* I wish I could do that trip again at *this* age/point in my life. I would have *such* a better time I know it.



No matter the distance of time or miles, he is always in our hearts and minds and I know we are in his as well. He sent me this guardian angel to watch over me and I just want to publicly thank him for it...

THANK YOU THOMAS for the wonderful angel. It's fabulous having a piece of you in my home, knowing you and yours are watching over me. I hope someday to travel back to Vienna with my husband to visit. :) Till then, many hugs and kisses from across the rainbow.

"Why are there so many songs about rainbows

and what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
and rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it.
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard
and answered when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that and someone believed it.
Look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing
and what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell. We know that it's probably magic.

Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that called the young sailors.
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
It's something that I'm supposed to be.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me."

-Thanks Kermit. :)