Hello,
Well, after 12 hours of sleep I’m a much happier camper, although still a little concerned how my swedish speechifying will go over. My friend Gunilla helped me with the translation and now i need to figure out how those words fit in my mouth and make sure that they reeeealy mean what i want to say… Erik has done another pass, so i can mix things up a bit. Have to sound like Ann whichever language I speak in! Bring on the swedish/english/swedish dictionary!
Barbro will be celebrated in a small family gathering in a chapel from the 1200s. Lots more to say tomorrow. Then after the ceremony we’ll go back to Barbro’s apartment for dinner. That will be painful. I have so many memories in that place. She was such a kind woman and there was so much sitting in the kitchen over tea and talking, or sitting on the sofa side by side each doing one’s own thing. My Swedish brother Per said it best perhaps: She was a good mamma… to them and to me. What a lucky woman I am!
Coming to the Gothenburg airport was a kick. I sat on the plane beside a young woman from Afghanistan. Neither her English or her Swedish were fabulous, so we had to do a lot of smiling and nodding! But Sweden which was always such a mono-culture is now teaming with people from all over the world. It’s so incredibly diverse. I’m not here enough, so I’m always startled when Africans/Chinese/Iranian children go dashing by chattering in Swedish.
Had a wonderful meeting with the priest yesterday. Who seemed very pleased to have me participate (and equally pleased that I’d only wanted to do the eulogy!). It’s always a question. Things are often done just so in the State Church, so it was nice to get an easy priest. She’d been in Chicago to study Homiletics at the Lutheran School of Theology and is currently writing a book on Homiletics. It’ll be interesting to read. We’re exchanging books!
Staying with Margita, who was the next sister down from me (in the 5 sibs, she’s the middle). We’ve been laughing a lot. Her two daughters are home, one from Paris, where she’s about to look for a job as a graphic designer, the other who’s going to school in a subject my swedish hasn’t yet exactly grasped but has to do with clothing design/manufacturing/marketing. Her son will be back from the army where he’s part of the last year of obligatory service. Family, wherever they are are wonderful to have.
It’s so wonderful that Margita and Cecelia were at the wedding and met many of the players in my life. They stayed with Deb when I married, so they feel close and interested with her as well. Margita and Ihave been listening to a cd that Steve’s group recorded of Greg’s songs. We’ve been talking about Mamma and making preparations for the dinner.
I need to take advantage of the time and play with the dictionary a bit. and have another coup of tea. i’m in sweden after all! maybe there should be another cheese sammich. what do you think?
I’ll work on the picture thing!
Puss och Kram… (swedish for xoxo!)
ann