Flower power and the power of Love

Yesterday we went for a walk on our mountain. To tell you the truth it wasn't one of our most pleasant walks, partly because it was rather chilly and very windy, and partly because life is rather heavy on us right now so the conversation was more dull than the cloudy sky. However, the Lord is generous and it's difficult to stay gloomy for long. The anemones are plenty, the blue hepatica is almost gone but the white is everywhere, like snowflakes.

So we took the path right up from our small chapel and started walking.  The weekend has been filled with the most various events, personally and nationally.

They are warmly antecipated and many people stay alert to be the first to publish a picture. It starts already with the snowdrop and the winter aconites. Recent years it has become warmer and so they arrive earlier, The warmer climate makes life difficult for the reindeers, this winter the temperature has changed more than 35 degrees celcius, over night, freezing the smell from the pasture below and creating ice where there usually is snow, easy to dig up with the hoofs.

Take a good look, in a couple of days they will be gone!!!

I come to think about the trees you can find in Shire, reading Tolkiens books as a teenager I could imagine what the surroundings looked like. Today all I see is the scenery from the films but that is alright. 

My google translate tells me that these are called Pasqueflowers. In Swedish they are known as Hill anemone.  They are protected just like the blue beauties above.
As you can see I am much more movable than this time last year and can go down on my knee to take pictures ( but I'm not suppposed to.....)

From a distance we heard the cows, but couldn't tell where they were gracing. As we came walking in to the part of the forest with most flowers, we saw them lying along the path and slowed down. They have calfes right now.  All of a sudden we heard a sound from behind us and there she was - the very angry mother with two youngsters.  She lowered her head, bellowed loudly and- sat off towards us in gallop!! Mooooo!!
Well, we decided to slightly alter our route....for a while!

More of those beauties!!!

A very convenient little house when nature calls ( nature calls in nature...?)

No, this is not a common and official roadsign in Sweden. It's Emelie who has a very childish heart , that put the sign up and filled that little part of the forest with trolls and ogres in all sizes. As you know they are afraid of the light and impossible to thousands  catch on film so I have no proof to bring.  Children find this very amusing!!!
Well, after an hours walk we returned home and put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea.
The news this evening, like every news report since 14.53 this friday has been all about the same thing:
Sweden has experienced it's first really bad terrorattack. Many of you that read this know what it's like to have these attacks, but we don't.  It was an uzbeki born man who stole a tradetruck on it's way to deliver beer and other beverages in central Stockholm. He drove the truck towards the largest shopping site, hit several people on the way and crashed into one of the largest stores. Somehow he got out and escaped but they took him quickly. The police acted in a very swift and professional way so now people have been covering their cars with flowers and hugging them.
The man has killed four people and severly injured 10-12 people, children too.
The chock and horror was huge, I was on the train home when I heard.
If his goal was to frighten people to stay indoors and not dare live like normal, he was badly mistaken. People has gathered, all weekend, in thousands, crying, hugging, praying, singing and putting flowers.  There have been several speakers, several artistic contributions, not only in Stockholm but all over. It was the same in Paris and in Nice and everywhere these attacks have been made in Europe. It's important to us to show sympathy and care.
It is also important to sorter out what happend and why. How can we prevent more attacks, how can we best support the victims.  A minute of silence was announced yesterday, everything went quiet, people, busses, cars, factories, schools.

And I say that the death of innocent people is horrible where ever it takes place, but when it's next door, we tend to make it bigger and more important. My thoughts goes to the unhappy ones, here and all over the world. I mean, think about the poor people in that koptic church in Egypt, the horrible attack with chemicals in Syriah, so much to pray for, around the world!! How can people do this, why is this happening?  Why did Jesus have to die?  Because this is the world we live in, and in this world people do horrible things and if they want to repent and be forgiven, God makes it possible.  Perhaps I find it difficult to forgive and understand, but God doesn't. "They who comes to me I will not turn away"

And those who need hope and comfort when the most terrible happend, can come to Him that carry our burdens.  He knows the pain but he also knows the way out of death!!!I couldn't stand what happends in the world if I didn't put my faith in this promise but I am also proud to see how people reach out and support total strangers when a thing like this happends.  

Flowers, notes, lights, people. The king was there, the princess Victoria came to pay her respect, and it goes on.  Love is strong.  Easter is within reach!!
These are my feelings and thoughts around this very different and strange weekend. For a while, our own heavy burdens seem unimportant and small.   Blessings!!