Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Sing Praise with all Creation.

All nature is praising the Creator. The song of glory is beautiful, sparkling, holy, eternal.

"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself after his kind: and God saw that is was good."

Creation live in praise and lament. Do you hear the song? Do you live your life following the rhythm? The purpose of life is to live in God's image, and there you never live alone, you live with and in all creation.

The photo shows the maple in our garden singing it's beautiful, sparkling praise. I rise my hands and sing along.

Shine your light!

Long summer days are gone, darkness creaps into our nights, and stars are again visible in the night sky.

Our candles and candleholders which have been tucked away during the summer months ,find their way to tables and windowsills.

Candles burning have different meanings. I lit a candle tonight for the leaders of the christian and the islamic world. God, give them wisdom to make the right desicions, God, give them wisdom to say the right words. God ,give them your love. God, give us all your eternal love to be the pencils in your hands.

Time given

Time is not mine to control. Sometimes a day slips out of my hands, sometimes I am given an extra second, an extra hour, and extra day.

Time is surrounding me, and precious are the moments when I can sit down for reflexions. Sit down to let my mind find it's own way down the river of life, let my mind wander, let my mind rest.

Tonight is a night of time given. I was supposed to pack for a two day's trip up north to Tromsø, for a conference. I was looking forward to this trip and to this conference. But plans have had to be changed, and instead I have been given extra time for reflexions, but more important| - extra precious time to spend with my youngster, which is in need of my time right now.....

But now she is in bed, so tonight the time is MINE.

Five years after.

I suppose that we all remember what we did on September 11th five years ago. I had a meeting at work, and will never forget how one of the people in the meeting got a phonecall and how he asked us all to come with him and check the computer, and then, when we understood this was really happening, we found a television, turned it on and sat there wordless, not believing what we saw. My ten year old Marta has a clear vision of what she did that day, even remembering where she sat when she watched television (we have moved since then).

Just a couple of days after 11th September I flew down to Eritrea to spend two weeks with our friendship group there. People had heard of what happened to the Twin Towers in New York, but it was so far from their life it didn't influence them much. Their lives were filled by the ongoing war and conflicts with Ethiopia, the drought which came back year after year, water supply problems....

An important perspecive. We shall never forget September 11th, and in deep respect for the people who died, and the firemen giving their life that day, I try to spend today in reflecting silence, praying for peace. At the same time I also remember my friends in Eritrea and what they have to struggle each and every day. One of my Eritrean friends, Mr. Zere, member of the Trondheim-Keren Friendship comitee came to Trondheim yesterday to stay here for a month. Tonight we are having a welcome party for him here at "the blue café", and while making waffler and "trollkrem" for the party, I will pray for the Eritrean people, and I will pray for the world after September 11th.