Guess they all gone...

Well, I would guess everyone's over on facebook, or myspace, or...maybe I'll see you there, getting facebook going, about to do some major traveling, so see you somewhere either in the ether or wherever...Love and peace...

1975...

Getting our house ready for Katarina and Jannina to live here while we head for a year assignment in the US, pulling the photo albums with a centimeter of dust off the top of the bookcases, finding the old MacArthur High School Crest yearbook for 1975, came across...er...me..32 years ago...In the mid-70s, our young vision was idealistic, optimistic and clear, possibly due to very large glasses...

The Big Femtio på det svenska sättet....later that same weekend...

Since they do such a beautiful job here in Sweden fêting one's 5Oth, even though I turn le Grand Cinq-Zéro next September, Beth offered me a big party, with a certain see-you-guys-later factor, before we head to the US for home ministry on June 15...She did an absolutely fantastic job inviting people, organizing, planning interesting and stimulating games, Pat did lots of graphic stuff, table-cards with my face inserted into famous paintings/photos (member of ABBA, me instead of Waldo, as Einstein)...And she MCed the whole shindig, with Patty Productions dance music compiles...Brillant photo essay by our cell group, gifts, including money toward a new(old) mandolin, yummy cakes from the House of Dolores, Beth and Kjell, mega Texas Taco salad, and the image of a snowy owl in the background (my favorite animal)...'Twas a truly Glad Födelsedag, as I was tossed into the air 4 and a half times...Thanks, dear friends, I love you!...

Take me to the river, naa naaa na!...

After graduating from high school, Patrick, just to make the weekend even more momentous, is baptized at New Life Church, his testimony crowning his time here in Sweden..A moving moment, how cool is that to have the privilege to baptize my children who have made their own decision to love and follow Jesus!...Full involvement: I went down up to my neck as Pat went under the water...Felt like splashing the blessing around a bit afterwards!...Let His Love splash you, too...

Patrick tar studenten..Hej så länge Åva!...

Then it was Patrick graduating from the International Baccalaureate program at Åva Gymnasium in Täby, after 3 years of high school in Sweden!...Well done, sir!...Wow! That was already 3 years?!...Made a number of good friends, helped them, learned quite a lot of their native tongue, hung out in their homes, went to their parties, talked about faith and God and shared his life and good humor and what they agree on as his thorough niceness...Met one of the guys on the T-bana today in the city, one who has a year to go yet, says he, as well as his girlfriend, were really influenced by Patrick's sharing of his faith and enthusiastic conviction...Lots of hugs, families from all over the region, flowers, truck drivers all over Sweden making extra cash offering to drive the individual classes around town in their rigs, outfitted with tree-branches and bazillion-watt bass woofers playing truck-rockin' dance hits...More parties, a surprise one out in Ekerö at Kjell and Maggan's with the whole youth group blessing him and sending him off, another party at Sergels Torg with the youth of Stockholm...We are proud of you, Patty!...

We went back...

So, yeah, it was a fine trip!...Just now got these pix up here with all that has been going on since...It was so good to see the favorite spots, see friends face to face and kiss them on the cheek like we used to...So fine to spend time with my son before he ventures on into the next phase, leaves us for now, it's always tough to let them go on with their lives, it was that way with Claire, that strange mix of joy at their achieving goals and finishing up one stage and being ready for life away from the nest, and missing them day-to-day...But always so fantastic to see them again on holidays and surprise-visits!...Thank the Lord, they are such a gift!...