There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven--
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

Mothers
Helena Johanna Rosnowska
was the mother of
Eva Emerentina Camén
was the mother of
Fredrika Johanna Hagelberg
who was the mother of
Fredrika Sofia Andersdotter
who was the mother of

Anna Fredrika Neij
who was the mother of...

Hilma Kristina Bergman
who was the mother of
Hedvig Wilhelmina Engqvist
who was the mother of
Eva Ingeborg Bengtsson
who is the mother of me;
Olga Eva Magnusson
and I am the mother of
Noak!

On the last Sunday of May, Sweden celebrates Mothersday

I am painting a dress with white flowers.


Different
Having grown up in the country in a house,
this living in an apartment still feels strange to me.
In an apartment you need another discipline
with your things.
Since the space is limited,
you can not keep buying things,
or you can not keep saving things.
I understand these things.

Making space
We needed to make room
1. in our storage in the basement for our bikes.
2. We still need to make room
for Noak and ONLY Noak
in the crowded little room up here in our home.
3. And we needed to create space and order in our closet.

Grrrr!
So... in the last few days
we have been getting rid of things.
This is very emotional for me.
A weak spot.
I loose my temper,
get really frustrated - and even angry!
I get angry when my man wants to
throw things away and I think;
-"This thing was expensive buying and it is very BAD economy throwing it away. We ought to sell it! (or give it to someone we know that would appreaciate it)"
-"This could be useful for someboby else, we ought not to throw it, but to give it away."
-"I can not use this now (no space)
but I like (maybe even LOVE) it,
and this is not just any thing, that you could go out and buy again.
And these things that are so dear to me can often be very tough to explain
why they are. But believe me they are!!!"

I like!
I like space and light
so that I can breath and think.

I love being surounded by beautiful things.
-And things that tell stories,
things that I feel connected with and rooted in.

I feel confortable in a creative and personal-looking home.
(Love how creative people
find second uses of old things!
My mother has always been doing
lovely things from things
she´s found or that has been thrown away)

I love finding the right spot in the home
for a certain an item,
a place that looks as though it was meant for it.

I´ld like to have order in my home;
If everything in the home had it´s place
and all familymembers knew, enjoyed and respeced those places
it would be nice - it would save lots of time.
It would also look so much better...

Dislike
I very much dislike vaste of time,
of things and resorses.
I very much dislike uglyness
and short term thinking,
when people don´t plan.
When people don´t know what they want...
most things they purchase turn out wrong,
do not fit.
Things that do not fit are ugly.
They just contribute to a huge, unconfortable MESS.

Attic
I do BELIEVE that
things I have no use of at the moment
can very well be useful later on...
(I used to find Mothers clothes from the fifties
in the attic when I was a teenager
and wear them with great joy.)
Things that you let rest for a while
become like new!
Yes I love attics and therefor - also -
I am in a desperate need of a house!



It is possible I may keep writing on this post to make it clearer and more complete.

This is the Mother and the Father

...of my friend Ingrid,
who is following this blog just like you are.
(Right Ingrid?)
She takes a look at it
every once in a while
when she is tired
after work.
(She teaches Swedish to kids
that have just come to Sweden.)
Ingrid was the one
that first made me think of
how the old are treated
compared to how the little children
are being cared for.
I admire her for how she CARES
for her old ones.

She gets in her car and drives
four hours to their house
every other weekend
and HELPS them.

Your parents are fortunate, Ingrid
to have a daughter like YOU!

These photos are taken by Ingrid and her husband Stefan.

P.S. her Father is on the right side and her Mother on the left side of the picture
...and her Mothers hair covers both of them.

40 degrees
Not all of a sudden - but almost - he is big.
Yesterday when I was to put loundry into the machine
my old eyes couldn´t read the tiny lable
telling what degree to wash in...
so I asked Noak to read it to me.
He did.

Help!!
And today
when I was in despair
couldn´t paint
I called my boy
on the phone
(when he was on his way back home
together with Hans)
He replied
"I will help you Mamma
when I get older!"

My son will help me paint
when he gets older!
That´s good.


P.S.
Tomorrow he will be 1/4 of a decade.

Gardenday
Oh yesterday!
It was a gardenday at Noaks kindergarden.
Parents, children
and the lovely personel
where there
cleaning the garden.
Things you do in a garden in spring.

We met at ten.
A little café opened up
after two hours of work
in the shade of the trees
with goddies made by parents.

Children were playing.
Parents were talking with eachother.
It was souch a wonderful place to be at.

My man and another man
made a little orchestra
performing their own children-songs...


A walk
And today
we decided to take a Sundaywalk
in the surroundings of Noaks kindergarden.

First around the lake.
Then up some streets very close by.
Walked up a hill.
Hundred years old wooden houses
with charm and little towers
in blooming gardens.

That house
On a sign at a gate
I recognized the names
of one of the familes
we had met yesterday.
I could hear them
working in their garden
so I couldn´t help myself
but had to say HI.

Helenas smile was
as warm as yesterday
and she asked us in.
Into their paradize.
And into her house.

Oh that house!
You should have seen that house.
Reflecting a happy life.
Very untidy
but we both agreed on that
messy was OK
as long as you´re surrounded
by a mess of beautiful things.
Never thought of that.
But true!
Haven´t seen souch a beautiful house
since I can´t remember when.

Palegreen wallpaper with
floral pattern in gold.
Her paintings.
Space, light, wit and personality.

Back outside Helena said to Noak
that she expected him to come play
in their garden
many, many times...

This text is by Antroanya...
who said in her comment
what I wanted to say - but much clearer!
Thank you Antroanya!

Most people use to attach great importance
to take care of our small children.
We create the best circumstances around them,
gives them buondless love and respect.
It's quite right!

But.

I think that the last period in our Earthlife
have the SAME value that our first years.
Unfortunately in the reality it isn't so.
(At least in the west.)
Rudolf Steiner had those thoughts to.

So.

Time has come to take care
of our elderly people.
To build homes just like kindergarden. '
There would varmhearted,
loving, careful people work,
with respect and attention.



This was what I, Olga wrote a day earlier:
When I was little my mother worked at an older peoples home.
I guess I did not like what I saw, because I said to my Mom
that I never wanted her and Dad to live in an old peoples home...

Sometimes I am thinking of how these homes
could become good places for old folks in need of care.

My sons kindergarden (a Rudolf Steiner school)
is so well thought through in every aspect.
It is a good place with much respect.

I truly believe it is possible
to offer these elder ones
a good place to live
according to their needs.

Here is a little list of some things
that I would like to include in their care:

• children around (and animals)
  
• close to nature
• beautifully set tables and good food
• couples may share room
  
• personal that has TIME to sit down and talk
• familliar faces around at all time
  
• massage
  

If you ever think of this,
please share with me your thoughts!
Or even better - maybe we could start an
"respect-for-old-people" movement together?