An old friend remembers Big John

This is wonderful. Received this morning from a very good, old friend in England (reprinted with thanks):

Big John at our wedding

"As you may or may not know, I was inordinately fond of Big John. He wasn't of course physically Big, but rather more metaphorically so. As I was pondering, it occurred to me that when we all emerged from Oxford, doey-eyed and bushy-tailed, into what may loosely be dubbed "adulthood", I for one was still emotionally rather gauche. (Probably still am!) The rite of passage all seemed rather far-fetched, especially when leavened by all the neuroses of English middle-classdom. I never really felt I had earned my proverbial stripes as an adult and consequently never felt wholly comfortable in that period masquerading as one. Looking back now on my two visits to LA and of course your own wedding, it occurs to me that Big John was the first "adult" I had met who was completely uninterested how old I was, where I had come from, what I did, how I behaved etc, but accepted me for what I am and (hopefully) enjoyed me for it. It was enormously refreshing and combined with his innate joie de vivre ( a phrase that could have been invented for him and I don't doubt you will hear much of!), a heady mix. I will therefore always remember him with enormous affection. I do hope that tomorrow is the celebration he both deserved and would have wanted."

The Maharishi's brother, Mike & Big John at our wedding