Mimmi, may I borrow your clothes?

Sienna, a two and a half year old princess, asked me yesterday, "Mimmi, may I borrow your clothes?"
How many little angels that young ask their grandmother a question like that?

The clothing item she likes to choose, is a white, lacy top, very feminine and girlie, just like her.
So we go and fetch the blouse in my closet and put it on her little frame. To her, it appears to be a pretty dress, just the right length, but since it is too wide, we pull the material together in the back and fasten it with a safety pin or a belt.

She feels beautiful. And she is. Very lovely and sweet. And I don't care if by the end of the day, the lacy blouse will have raspberry jam or mashed potatoes down the front. Sienna is important, the blouse is not.

So I will use one of her energetic and positive sayings, "It's perfect!"
Children are a blessing. And they are perfect.

The Os of Life and Death

And O there are days in this life, worth life and worth death.
Charles Dickens

This saying means everything after the Pentecost weekend we have experienced in our family.
Saturday evening, watching TV with my beloved Arnfinn, he suffered what the doctors debated was a heart attack or not. He was rushed to the hospital in Oslo in an ambulance and went through extensive testing and treatment during the night.

Now he is home again. He is alive! And we are happy to have more time together.

Life is fragile. An experience like that is an eye opener for many, especially the younger members of our family, but also the older, as it makes you want to make the best out of the days we have together here on the earth.

To top it off, I went to the funeral of a good friend yesterday. Her children and friends praised her and reminisced on the many unforgettable, funny and unselfish acts of kindness and love this woman had shown throughout her life.

The variety of days in life, like Dickens mentions in the saying above, is important. There are moment when sadness, despair or pain may overcome us in a way, that we wish for a better life on the other side of the veil. Then again, the next morning, the sun is shining, the birds are singing - and here at the Duck and Cherry, I can add, the sheep are bleating - and we are grateful to be alive and enjoy another beautiful day under a Heavenly Father's watchful care.

So, on a personal note, I have a husband who is a pillar in my life. He encourages me to be better, and believes in me when I don't. He makes me laugh - a lot - and he strives every day to be a better man.

Below are a few words of wisdom about life.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”― Dr. Seuss

“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth.”― William W. Purkey

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”― Oscar Wilde

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”― Dr. Seuss

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”― Albert Einstein

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”― Lewis Carroll

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”― George Bernard Shaw

“Where there is love there is life.”― Mahatma Gandhi

Photo today, Arnfinn as "Bestefar" and Aksel, one of our grandsons, at the cabin.



June 9, 1865: Charles Dickens was in a train derailment in England, 149 years ago today. He climbed out a window and saved the manuscript of Our Mutual Friend, but didn't leave the scene until he'd brought the victims water from a nearby river, which he ferried in his top hat. 

Why All The Questions?

When Linnea was four years old, she asked questions all day long. Just like many children, she wanted to know why, who, where, when, what over and over again. A new question would roll off her tongue almost before you had registered the previous one.

I taped her one time while she was watching Disney's Dumbo (or Dumbol as she called it, living in Austria where many words seem to end with the letter L). I remember having to muster up all my patience at the time, but it was adorable how inquisitive she was.

My husband is also a man of many questions. As a lawyer he is schooled in questioning. He can always see things from many angles unknown to me and asks zillions of questions about things I have never thought about. Still I have reminded him a few times that we are not in a courtroom.

On the other hand, he comes from Trondheim and claims that people from that region tend to answer a question with another question.

I believe in learning every day and that being curious and interested is healthy and wise. I want to probe and find out, strive forward and learn from life. It does not mean to be fans of Medieval Inquisition, but questions about life, religion, and God are vital for our eternal welfare. And when I find out what I believe to be best and true, I need to trust in that decision.

The Italian Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci was always learning. I read his personal note book many years ago and recognized how important he believed learning from personal experience was.

Still - some things are better left untried. There are pitfalls in life we don't have to jump into.

Today's art is an oil painting I did in 1982 of a lamb and lion. I believe it is possible that one day the lamb will lie down with the lion. When that day comes, my big wish is to cuddle with huge bears.