The three of us drove 2 hours East to Örebro and attended his beautiful service. Of course it was an emotional day, but it was also very peaceful at the same time. Fredrik's grandfather, Erik, passed away peacefully in his sleep, in his own bed. I only hope to leave this life so simply.
How does the saying go.. "There is nothing like a funeral to bring about a family reunion.." ?
We were able to see some family that we haven't seen in many years and it was very nice to see them.
Leia behaved very well. We were pleased with her behavior, knowing that she could have been difficult to deal with. But she behaved and was a good girl. This was her 2nd funeral now, before even turning 2. (I was Leia's age, just having turned 2 years old, when I lost both of my grandfathers.)
As Swedish tradition, everyone pays their respects during the funeral service while walking past the casket and laying a flower, typically a rose on the coffin. Soon after entering the church, Leia's great-grandmother, Ulla, gave Leia a tiny bouquet of picked flowers, for her to lay as well. I was a little afraid that Leia would be uncooperative and decide to keep the flowers for herself.. But she did well and laid her flowers down. She made a flinch to snatch them back, as she desperately loves flowers, but she retracted her hand and left them for her great-grandfather.
Erik was a fun man to talk to, and he loved speaking with me in the English that he knew. :) Every time we would meet, he would tell me the same stories over and over again, and I loved listening to them. And no matter how many times Fredrik would tell him that I understood Swedish, he would persist in speaking with me in English. :)
We'll keep our fond memories and share them with Leia when she gets older.
1 comment:
We only met him once, but in that short time we enjoyed hearing what he had to say about living in the USA for a while. Dad loved talking to him. He and his wife were very gracious.
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