Og så var det selvfølgelig årets ord. Hadde nesten glemt at fjorårets var 'Lift'... Kalenderen min med den fine scrappede forsiden med ordet på led an langsom død nederst i sykkelsekken min i høst, etter flere uker med meget fuktige sykkelturer fram og tilbake fra jobb. Det er faktisk første gang i mitt voksne liv at jeg ikke har en Ordning og Reda ukekalender. Alt skjer på telefonen for tiden. Så jeg får finne på en annen lur måte å ha ordet framme i pannebrasken. Dessuten så ble 2012 helt annerledes enn jeg trodde. Jeg ble rett og slett litt satt ut. Mye satt ut faktisk. Nok om det. Nytt år, sant?
Kanskje jeg skulle kjøpt meg et nytt smykke - sånn som jeg gjorde med Imperturbable?
.JPG)
Johannes mente jeg burde ha shoppestopp på puter også. Det kan jeg da ikke forstå.
Jeg kunne jo tatt en tur til Kremmerhuset og sett om jeg fant flere betong bokstaver? Syntes Noel tablået mitt ble ganske vellykket, selv om de ikke hadde flere 'E'er, og jeg mått improvisere litt. :-)
Men hvilket ord blir det? Jeg har flere å velge imellom i år. Jeg har lurt på Peace, Serenity, Strong, Wisdom & Compassion og Give. (Og hvorfor de alltid er på engelsk er jo et annet spørsmål...)
Og kanskje før jeg går igang med årets ord, så burde jeg få avgårde årets (fjorårets) julebrev..? Her er årets engelske versjon som jeg omsider klarte å klore ned. Det er jo Johannes som er tekstforfatteren i huset - han skriver mye bedre og mer konsist og morsommere enn meg. Men i år har han bare ikke helt vært i skrivemodus. Så til slutt tok jeg saken i egne hender og skrev den engelske versjonen. Han godkjente den under tvil, men han SKAL skrive den norske. En gang. Det går liksom ikke an å bare oversette den direkte heller. Den engelske vil alltid være litt mer formell i tonen, og man kan liksom ikke tillate seg fullt så mye selvironi og humor i den engelske. De tar den ikke. Eller det er i hvertfall det vi frykter.
Her er den i hvertfall. God Jul og sånn. (Til alle mine 4 følgere :-))
|
|
few years ago we adopted a Sunday dinner
tradition of having each family member share the worst thing that had happened that day, and the best thing that had happened that day,
in an effort to get our teenagers to offer more than one syllable responses to
our incessant inquiries about their daily lives. (Ironically, the only time
they seemed to be more than eager to talk, was just before family scripture
study or prayer. Then they usually couldn’t be stopped.) Anyway. Since this year has had it’s fair
share of worsts and bests, our annual Bjerga Post and Update will include some
of them – especially since we truly have realized that all the worsts have a
flip side, and are, as Grandma Cherina would put it: Blessings in disguise.
Johannes: After 22 years with Stavanger Aftenblad, it was time to say goodbye.
The newspaper industry is not what it once was, and with never ending
downsizing and internal reorganizations, Johannes chose to leave. Fortunately,
with a generous severance package, giving him ample time to regroup and find
new employment. This has also allowed him to spend more time finishing off
divers projects such as the building of a sound barrier wall between our house
and the main road, and also to be more available
to care for his now aging parents of 91 and 84, who need more help now than
they have in the past. We are very grateful that they live in the same house as
us. It certainly simplifies things.
Joanna: The same week in May that Johannes found out he would be leaving
Stavanger Aftenblad, Joanna was informed that her job as Service Manager at
ELIXIA Madla was being eliminated in a nation wide reorganization of ELIXIA’s
club management. No Severance package there though, so she immediately started
looking for something else, and just as her 3 month resignation period was up,
she started her new job as Administrative Support Coordinator for Petroleum
Technology Company, a small, but booming business that designs and makes
specialized gas lift valves for the Oil and Gas Industry. The pay is better,
the hours too, and the office is a 30 minute bike ride away, so she is able to
get in a good hour of physical exercise every week day.
Celine: Halfway through nursing school, this time last year, Celine decided
she wanted to give Pilot School a try. She applied, passed the entry exam, and
then needed to move back home for a semester to save money before starting
Pilot School in August. She started working full time at the hospital in
January and met a perfectly charming young man, originally from Iceland;
Birkir. Our guess is that you will be hearing about him in future annual
updates. Celine has started Pilot Training in Sandefjord, close to Tønsberg,
where Joanna’s parents live. They love having her close by. As for Birkir,
distance seems to make the heart grow fonder…
Simen: Simen’s life has basically been put on hold this year, due to the
cornea transplant on his left eye in May, and now a delayed Crosslinking
preventative procedure on his right eye. In his own words, being practically
blind (albeit temporarily) has given him
a chance to take a closer look at his life, and refocus on doing whatever it
takes to get back to school. We are hoping that 2013 will see some movement in
that area.
Benjamin(17): School, football, weight training, guitar playing and girlfriend
pretty much sum up his year. But expensive taste and expensive hobbies have
kept him constantly lacking in the monetary department, so he finally started
looking for work, and eventually found some. He is enjoying his financial
independence, and so are his parents.
Jonah(16): He pretty much did what Benjamin did the year before him, and
finished 10th grade with good enough results to get him in to the high school of his choice. He loves his new
school and class, and keeps busy with old and new friends, a new girlfriend, work,
and a newly acquired scooter license and scooter. So he is mobile. He went
agnostic on us this year, which is an improvement on atheist, but still quite
challenging. At least he’s thinking about it, right?
Other highlights
were the organization of Norway’s second stake in April, our hot and busy, but
wonderful 4 week trip to the US this summer, Joanna’s parents’ 40th
wedding anniversary in September, and Johannes’ 50th birthday in
November.
As we move from
2012 to 2013, we try to follow the council of Neal A. Maxwell: “Faith in God includes faith in his timing.” So, although many things are unresolved for
now, we do recognize that we are on the receiving end of countless blessings.(Some
of them in disguise). And for that we are grateful.
Og her er bildet jeg brukte:
Men her er det jeg egentlig hadde lyst å bruke...
Bildene er fra fotoseansen til Mama og Pappa's bryllupsdagsfeiring i September. Hvilket forøvrig var et av høydepunktene i 2012.
Særlig at vi klarte å samle ALLE barnebarna på et brett.
Sånn. Nå er jeg ihvertfall igang. Godt Nytt år.
(Men Årets Ord fant jeg ikke ut av...)
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar