Exciting News

We had another dry day, and almost sunny this morning. Tom and I went for a walk in the neighborhood. But that's not the exciting news. When I checked e-mail first thing this morning, I found a blog comment from someone unexpected. In 2006 Tom and I traveled in Scandinavia. We both have ancestors from Norway and Sweden, and Tom has done extensive genealogy. Before we left he tried to make contact in some of the villages where forebears had lived. Just before we left we heard from a contact who had located some distant cousins of mine still living in the ancestral villages. We set up a meeting. I will never forget that afternoon. Yvonne Nonis is a fourth cousin related through my paternal great grandfather. We met at her house in Skamhed, outside Dala-Jarna in central Sweden. She and her son Fredrik, who was fluent in English, escorted us through the old village. Many of the buildings there were 150 - 200 years old. This field is the site where my great-great grandmother lived. This stream was the source of their household water. I get chills still thinking about my connection to that beautiful village. When we got back to Yvonne's house, more cousins arrived. May-Gull Larsson and Inga-Britt Hagstrom, cousins to each other, but not related to Yvonne, are my third cousins, related through my great grandfather. Here are Yvonne and her husband Rolf with a couple who were friends with May-Gull and were chauffeuring them around in their car. Here is Yvonne with her son Fredrik. And here are cousins May-Gull and Inga-Britt. We have sent Christmas cards and letters each December, and several times we have received cards back form May-Gull. I treasure them. And then, this morning, there was Inga-Britt commenting on my blog! I had included my blog address in my letter, and it just so happens that Inga-Britt is a blogger too, now, so she looked me up when our letter finally arrived there this week! - You will find Inga-Britt at http://tegeltak.blogspot.com. Her blog is written in Swedish, of course, and I can only make out a few words, but I can read her photos. She is a very talented fiber artist. In fact, I must tell you a story about her. After gathering at Yvonne's house, we were suddenly being rushed away on another tour, so suddenly that I did not bring my camera! I so regret not having photos, but the pictures are clear in my memory. Inga-Britt and May-Gull took us to the church that was the family church of my ancestors. Then they took us to Inga-Britt's grandmother's house. Inga-Britt had recently lost her mother, so it was painful to be in a house full of memories, but inside were her looms, and samples of her weaving. Tom's mother was a weaver, so we knew what to look for and we could tell she was very expert. We made approving comments and showed great interest, and were very touched by her sharing this special place. It was getting late, and Yvonne offered us dinner, but before Inga-Britt left us, she said we must stop at her home. She had something for us. So after dinner Yvonne and Fredrik showed us the way. Inga-Britt's house is in a dramatic setting, on the bank of a wide river that was in it's spring flood stage. It was June, and daylight went on forever. She invited us inside her home and showed us three woven table runners and said we must choose one. I was so thrilled I was almost speechless. And this is what I choose.

It just so happens that when I put away my Christmas runner last weekend, I selected Inga-Britt's runner to place on my dining room table, remembering the day I received it.

And now, today, there she is on my computer!