This is the season

So this is the season?

Mothers day is the last sunday in May, look what I've got!!

Come sunshine, come tourists, come flags!! 

The month of maying is long gone, there was hardly any spring at all, some say now that we have but two seasons left.  Pentecost was cold and windy, with our 55 voices big church choir singing at the service, our National Day was spent with anthems sung from every citysquare, speaches held and flags and banners waving. We payed our icecream boat a visit and then strolled over to the big(?) city square.  New swedish citizens welcomed, folkdancers and childrens choirs. This has been a holiday for 7 years now,  originally the day, june 6th, was celebrated because of the King Gustav Wasa ( yes, the one that gave his name to the skiing contest) With him the country was united under one king only in 1523. That same king also made way for the protestant church. In doing that he emptied the monasteries and killed quite a few monks, but hey, we were now lutherans!!

Our part of the country was still danish though... anyway, several hundred years went by and we then imported a new king for the new kind of kingdom, a new order of government was signed 1809 june 6th, by june 27 all the counties had signed and so we had a new reign. We now got one of Napoleons generals for king, they couldn't get along so it was a win win situation and we got the Bernadottes, first one called Carl XIV Johan, but he actually didn't speak french like everyone else did, more some kind of spanish.  Since 1818 this has been the Royal order in Sweden, the King has no real power today but is a very important symbol for our nation. We love our royal family. At first we celebrated the flag alone, then we started to call it a nationalday 1983, although we never had any victory or independence day to celebrate so this day never had the pregnance that these days have in other countries.  Norway f.i. 

Here is the national anthem, about great days of glory, this particular version is from the park in Stockholm, Skansen where the royal family celebrate every year.

This is also the time for graduation, schoolproms and partys in every garden, the barbecue time and in our community - time for Sweden Rock Festival - a week when we are invaded by 33.000 hideous and friendly rockers from all of Sweden ; Denmark, Norway, Finland but also Germany and more.
They arrive dressed in jeans and t-shirts or even suits and polished shoes and come out of their tents and caravans dressed in robes, with black or white eyelenses and walking sticks with skulls and demons on them. This year we have Scorpions and Aerosmith f.i, but last year Queen was here, sort of...Freddie....

This is the season when our children go on summer leave, in Sweden they have that summer from mid june to mid august. For some children this is a wonderful time of bathing, travelling, picnic and partys. It's a time for meeting relatives and friends. For others, it's a idle time, time to kill, time spent indoors with the computer as only company, for some children these are days when they don't get enough to eat every day because of the economical and social situation in the family. When I was that age the community sent me for summer to families in the country side, I have written about those days here: 
 http://thebadhipperspective.blogspot.se/2016/07/being-very-much-human-dedicated-post.html

without that help my life would have been quite different, for sure.


This is also election time , it's not going very well for the conservatives in UK. Not in Sweden either, the right wing is falling rapidly, they call for changed leadership, and that is also the case in the left wing. A coalition is needed for next years election? In the UK, it seems that everything is no shaking, we hope for at good and solid solution, the Brexit has to be managed in a wise and sound fashion, now when its there to handle. I'm sorry about it, but hope for the best. 

Handling things wisely is also a deep felt prayer, when terror hits again and again. We need to take action, we need to be firm and we need to unite our forces. This is the season when the free world and the freedom of people is threathened by a thinking that is uncomprehensable to us.
It seems that an answer in military fashion is unevitable, so now it's on.  A sensible political thinking to prevent more bloodshed, must be layed on the table as well as those actions.  People are scared and angry, people are hurt and bewildered.  Who can we trust? No one?  I fear a closed and suspicious society. That was the goal, wasn't it? 

But then again; so comforting to see that there are no hayforks or angry mobs roaming the street, screaming for revenge.  Instead people start to sing, buy flowers, write poems and greetings, holding and comforting each other, side by side, young and old, christian and muslim.
We have to fight this, but we must keep the hatred out of our hearts - that is what they say these people who ran for their lives and now are back in the streets, seeking fellowship.  That probably wasn't intended but that is what we've got.  I pray that it will last. 
We are , I believe, strong enough to act for those who are in need right now, and we do,  and so hope is possible, because Gods children need eachother, He created us that way.

Same sparrow every day - tjirrp, tjirrp. I don't know what he is on about but I prefer him because at the rooftop of the parish home, we right now have an angry family of gulls, attacking everyone and everything, protecting the newly hatched babies.  I can understand them, children must be protected, but I still prefer the sparrows way.....

This is the season also, to hope for a better life ahead while trying to get through every day not worrying about the next.  We try to do this in our family, some of you know the difficulties we are facing right now, but we are not abandoned, just very tired.  Matthew 11:28 is called for!
" come to me , ye who are tired and burdened, I shall give you rest "( swedish translation, didn't check King James's )

And now, a bite to eat and then off to prepare for another christening of a little boy. 
This afternoon will be spent celebrating the 60th birthday of a woman in the churchchoir, fighting to live a good and bright life in spite of her handicap - this will be a good day!!!