Morning Blooms

 As I waved goodbye to our four teenagers, the chill in this October morning and the cheerful smiles from these tiny blooms, lifted my memory to my school in Norway and the fall of 1984. Fredly Folkehogskole, the same school to which both Gabriel and Elias went and where Malachi is currently attending, challenged every aspect my life, especially my faith, when I was seventeen. Every morning, as I struggled with the ache of loneliness and the desperation I felt in living unknown as a foreigner who understood nothing at first, I would run to a high point up a steep path above the school. From there I would pour out my heart and speak aloud to God, until I was empty of my struggles and sorrow and ready to be filled. The scripture from Psalm 40 which comes to mind is this, from verse 2, "he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." In that morning run, even in the dark, bitter snow with drifts of two meters when winter stormed in, I ran to find a place away from my troubles for God to realign my heart and mind. In that transforming time of my life, God also encouraged my heart with the love of a woman who I have since called my Moster (mother/sister). And it is this sweet memory that struck me today, for as she dropped me off at school (she is a family friend from my toddler days!) before my homesickness, running, and trials began, she left a plant, blooming with lavender flowers. The blooms were the garden in my room, the reminder of her love for me and presence in my life, a city and a few weekends away. As I learned to cling to God, I also had a tangible example of his love, just outside my everyday battles, to whom I could go, when my soul was weary. It is a privilege to be given a human example of Jesus' love, how often our roots become strengthened by a person who loves us unconditionally and self-sacrificially! This morning, almost 40 years later, I thank God for Aashild Johanne Thorsen and that year, and the morning blooms to remind me!