We walked over to the Congregation House today for a Family Church service because Martin was singing with his little musiklek group. On the way, I discovered a long row of gigantic pussywillow bushes. Snowdrops are everywhere, and little purple and yellow crocuses have thrust out their heads. Tiny green buds tip each branch. The little creek along the snail trail slides like transparent quicksilver over the water-carved sandy bed and soaks the bottoms of the trees. A barely-there carpet of new, neon-green leaves is carpeting the forest floor, pushing up through the winter debris. Spring is sprung!
Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the flowers is?
After the service, we were served waffles with strawberry jam and whipped cream. This is because last Thursday was Waffle Day in Sweden. Waffle Day, believe it or not, is originally a religious holiday. The name Waffle Day is a bastardization of Vår Fru Dagen*, pronounced vohrfrudahgen, which if you say it fast in Swedish sounds like Waffle Day. It’s the celebration of the day that the angel came to Mary and let her know that she would bear a child to God, a boy that she was to name Jesus. This is, as far as I know, the first and best recorded instance of finding out the sex of your child before it’s born. (or, in this case, before it’s even conceived).
***
“…even on the [lousiest] of days, there was always one good thing that happened, and if I could just remember what that one good thing was, I could string them all together like Christmas lights and drag that string behind me, occasionally looking back to see how beautiful it all actually was.” inspirational thought behind the origin of One Good Thing
Upcoming** Movies I Want to See: Timeline, King Arthur, The Ladykillers, Home on the Range, The Incredibles, Hidalgo, The Last Shot, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
*literally The Day of Our Lady
**Upcoming in Sweden, that is. We’re six months behind here.