If we were having coffee I would tell you that I was reminded of a difficult situation that took place 25 years ago in a time when I was a single mother living in Sweden. (For some background info.) I hope you bear with me that this rescuing story is a winter story.

I still prefer a kind of coffee from Sweden called Gevalia. Luckily that type can be bought in Denmark were I live and come from. In Sweden you can get another favorite called Zoega and I always buy as many as I can carry when I visit Sweden a few times a year. Thank you to Diana at The Part-Time Monster for the #WeekendCoffeeShare event. I hope you forgive me for making a post that has nothing to do with colored people as suggested for this week’s share.

Lisa Orchard in “Lisa’s Ramlings” inspired me to be thankful of the situations I have been through where I really needed acute help. I also enjoyed the humorous pictures in her text.  I found Lisa’s post at Bernadette’s blog “Haddon Musing”. Bernadette has a weekly event on Wednesdays for seniors called Senior Salon. It’s very easy to connect to that and that’s how I have come in contact with people from different countries who read my posts and share their own posts. Some of us are even developing friendships!

When something unexpectedly happens away from home you can’t solve alone, it’s like you are kept in suspense. Will anybody come to your help?

The car and three of my children the year after the incident at my parents’ home  1992

When my children were between ten and four years old I lived in Sweden as a single mother. I had a second-hand Volvo Station car and second-hand winter tires. We we going to Norway for skiing and we were two families who went this long way in our two cars. We were heading for a youth conference at a church in Oppdal Norway and would be together with a lot of young people from the bible school I was at in  Uppsala Sweden in 1990-92.

Roller Coaster

I was very nervous and in great lack of sleep. Not used to skiing, had to hire skiing equipment for my four children at the place. Waiting for the other family to arrive at my home I was already exhausted. They were late. Then their children soon got hungry and wanted a lunch break. The hours were running away without us coming far. After many hours we came closer to the Norwegian border.  The road was white, the sides were white and suddenly my wheels took at curve slowly but certain towards the ditch. We went down the ditch and up again on the roof of the car and then up again on the worn automobile tires. Still in the ditch but luckily on the wheels.

We all screamed JESUS!

My children stepped out. I guess I did too. It took time before my friends understood that we were not behind them. As they came back a helping truck passed by and stopped. Without even asking for payment he pulled us up.

I was not able to drive any more that day and the father in the family took over and I continued as a passenger in my friends’ car as there was no extra room in mine. After a good week of skiing I drove back home alone without more accidents. My oldest son was afraid to drive with me for some time afterwards.

I am thankful for my friends who took over the driving as if nothing had happened and for that truck driver who came just in the right moment. It was a very deserted road and very cold and icy.  The old Volvo was a very strong car. It had some repair done afterwards though. The luggage box on the roof was mashed a bit down but we were not hurt.

The white car to the left and some of the young people having fun at the border station

Since then I would never accept old winter automobile tires. At the time I didn’t know that they were worn.

Ulf, a young Norwegian, was another angel who took his time to teach my youngest children to ski. My daughter is not yet 6 years old at this journey.

Mountain-like faith

The first day of skiing I stood in front of a huge mountain and looked up. All of my four children were out of my sight and I was left with an empty feeling. Did I really dare to come up with the lift? First I had to rent skis for my self. I took the step in faith and did it. Took hold of the handle and went up into the heights without knowing how to manage the rest of the day or to come down again.

Skiing was what I had longed for my whole life and now I was forty years old. I came up and slowly learnt how to maneuver the skis. My youngest son was four and didn’t ski on his own but went along as a small penguin. Ulf was only in his early twenties when and we sat together for two years at the bible school in Uppsala Sweden and he convinced me that I should take the children with me to this trip in Norway. I went twice and the children were happy. Only once by car.

Ulf taking my youngest down a hill

One of the young men taking his turn to help a little one

Some of the young people with two of my children