Advent Journey Day 14

Back in September and now this past week, Doug and I were privileged to welcome 2 young women from our past lives and ministries!  Doug nurtured both of these terrific people through their Jr. High and High School years as their youth pastor and then I was privileged to be a part of their lives when they went to college because I happened to be the University Chaplain at the school where they attended. One of the girls played trumpet in our wedding when she was a mere 15 years old!  The other one is now a colleague in ministry, a pastor serving a Covenant Church in the US.  Both of the women brought their moms along on their travels, also important people in our ministry life at Doug's former church.  Both visits were incredibly meaningful and fun.  We talked present day life but also spent a lot of time remembering significant and hilarious moments together.  Doug was truly a fantastic influence in these students' lives and the affection that they all share for that time in life is really special to witness.  I feel very blessed to have come into their lives through Doug but then also to have developed my own relationship with them over time. 
Additionally, a son of one of Doug's cousins was with us over the past weekend.  He is studying in Ireland this semester and wanted to check out Sweden.  We had not met him very often in his life as 15 of his 21 years of life we have lived in Sweden!  But it was an easy connection and we enjoyed getting to know him.  We talked about life, family, and living abroad.  We taught him how to play Cribbage and I showed him how to make tea lights from citrus fruit!  This one is made from a clementine!  
Then tonight we were invited to a holiday party with a young woman from our church who we have gotten to know well.  She put on a beautiful spread of delicious food with cute red and green themes throughout.  Especially impressive were these Santa/Grinch fruit kabobs.  The others present were all church folks and it was great to gather around good food and holiday cheer.  
We drove home with our Indian friends who have become even more dear to us since our trip to India.  
Friendships and relationships, whether new or old, hold a special place in our lives.  At Christmas the warmth and peace that these good relationships provide comes through for us in special ways.  It is equally as true however that our troubled relationships can be bothersome during the holidays because these painful conflicts are ever more magnified when the theme of the day is Peace on Earth, Good Will to All.  Even so, it's a good theme to have ringing in our ears.  Jesus came to this earth as one desirous of cultivating forgiveness and reconciliation among humanity.  It's good to strive for that in whatever ways we can.  The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:18, that in so far it depends on you, to keep the peace, in whatever ways we can.  Let's remember to celebrate with joy the friendships and relationships that bring us peace and contentment and strive to be a peacemaker even among those with whom our relationship is not always marked by peace.

4th of July Stockholm Style

We got lucky with a gorgeous day on the 4th of July. 4 of us American women from my book club decided that it would be a good idea to gather our various spouses and dogs and boats and head out to the archipelago for a bbq picnic. Our friend Olle found this little gem of a spot south of Stockholm. Olle and Judy's boat proudly displays the American Flag in honor of our 4th of July celebration!
On our way out the water was extremely rough and I've never seen so many boats in the water. The summer vacation season has begun!
We were happy to arrive after the taxing ride out and once we got ourselves settled, realized what a great little perch our spot was turning out to be! It was hot and sunny and delightful. Our friends Mare and Kjell had their doggy, Cappy, with them. He is the absolute antithesis to Tanner! Calm and mild mannered, he found this little hole and just rested there for a better part of the evening! Tanner on the other hand, was dying to be in the middle of everything! Finally after swimming quite a bit, he settled down as well. 3 of us human types ventured into the beautifully clear but startling freezing waters of the Baltic. I was genuinely hot and wanted to cool off and I'd been in the water near town a couple of times so when I took my first plunge I wasn't quite prepared for how chilly it would be! At 15 degrees C, about 60F, let's just say exhilarating was one adjective that came to mind! Actually, it didn't take long for it to feel genuinely refreshing and the tingle began to restore my hot and tired self.Happy couple after a dip in the Baltic Sea.
Soon it was time to get the bbq prepared and I gotta tell you, this group knows how to put together a feast! Thanks to Doug and Kjell for grilling all the meat on the small one time grills as we forgot our little Smokey Joe grill! We had the charcoal, the "Girl Scout water" (lighter fluid), matches, food...but alas, no grill. Thankfully the brilliant Swedish invention of one time disposable grills came to the rescue once again!All of the food was just perfect and we ate as much as could have possibly have wanted to and then some. I had talked my friend Judy into making the delicious raspberry tarts she had made for book club a few months ago and even though she made me wait until we had eaten dinner to try one, they did not disappoint. What could more perfect than a cup of coffee and one of Selma's tarts on a rock in the middle of the archipelago?Much laughter ensued and pretty soon it was after 9.00 p.m. and we realized we had about a 1.5 hour journey back to the city so we began the process of getting packed up and going home. We engaged in one last photo shoot before departing! Don't you love the faux American flag backdrop?! Too funny. (The gal group photos are taken by Robert Cokery, Sandra's charming Australian husband who is a great photographer.)
The laughter and joy on our faces shows what a wonderful afternoon and evening we had all enjoyed.
We didn't blow off any fireworks, but the sun provided a beautiful display of natural beauty. Watching the day come to a close, around 10.30 p.m. is one of my greatest summer pleasures.The pup was worn out and sleepy from his island adventure.We finally landed at our Marina around 11.00 p.m. The bluish hue that the eastern sky takes on still thrills me. I marvel at the light late sky in Stockholm during this time of year. Likewise, I marvel for totally different reasons how dark it is so early in the day during the winter! We got the boat put to bed, drove home and put ourselves to bed, feeling very satisfied by food and friendship.The folks we spent the 4th with are dear friends. As we drove home through the gorgeous array of islands with the sky dancing and changing colors before our very eyes, I was reminded of how special my life in Sweden really is. I had a hard week last week. I was discontent about many things and felt some frustration with living in Sweden. Those feelings have not vanished with one beautiful night in the archipelago but I was reminded of what a gift friendship is and how beautiful and wonderful our life here can be when we choose to invest in the relationships that we've been given and to be thankful for the many ways that joy comes to us.
And so it is that another good day came to an end. Special thanks to my darling husband Douglas who works hard at the boating so I can enjoy it so much. And here's our little Finnmaster that makes all this summer fun possible. I am blessed in so many ways. I need to remember that when grumpiness and a lack of contentment lurks.