The LJ Goddesses are smiling down on me today, allowing me to finally post these photos in honor of linbinwriter.  You see, Linda is the captain of Team Vinca.  In May of 2007 I posted a plea for good thoughts as I ran the Bolder Boulder 10k and I was humbled by the responses.  Linda let me know she’d be wearing her Team Vinca t-shirt in honor of my race.  I don’t think she knows how important that image was to me as I struggled to finish the race but I thought about it as I huffed and puffed along the course, and it motivated me to keep going.  Fast forward to May 2008 when I needed another round of good thoughts for the race.  Linda promised to wear her Team Vinca shirt again.  And again, that image helped carry me across the finish line. 

So imagine my joy when I opened a package a couple weeks ago and discovered this shirt (look closely for the tiny vinca blossoms drawn around the letters):

But the shirt isn’t just about Team Vinca and my running support network, it’s also a call-out to the Denver Cycle Sluts who raised money for the weekly spaghetti dinner for the homeless.  Go Sluts!

As for Venn Diagrams?  Linda is humoring me because she knows I like them and like saying the words aloud: Venn Diagrams!

But it wasn’t just this great handmade t-shirt in the package.  Linda also wrote the most beautiful, kind note to me regarding running and writing.  And the timing could not have been better.  I was suffering a crisis of confidence (on several fronts) that day but when I read the words penned by a writer friend many miles away, I cried tears of gratitude.

I’m very fortunate to have your support and camaraderie, Linda.  Thanks so much for being my friend and the captain of my team.