Hello everyone. I hope you are all well and enjoying the last weeks of summer.
In her column this week, Valley Home resident Karen Rinna Titus expresses the love she and so many others felt at the passing of a very special woman… Kerstin Bergstrom. In Karen’s words, “I don’t really know where to begin… This fundamental piece of my village left us today to be with her shorty. I was lucky to have a big village, but this… this tiny one here was the foundation of my life. There has never been anyone who brought more adventure and joy to a life other than her and her husband Bjorn. They both taught me what it was like to be hospitable, welcoming, forgiving, and most of all, a friend who was always there for me. I could call them at any moment in my life and knew they would drop everything to be with us. Their home was our home. I have not known life without Kris, and only a short time of my life have I lived without Bjorn. I was lucky enough to visit her a few weeks ago and tell her how much I love her and how incredibly grateful I am for everything she has done for me. Thanks to her, I can safely say that her Swedish culture has become part of my culture. I woke up before sunrise on December 13th in St. Lucia to celebrate and eat Swedish cookies… and to try glug, long before I was of legal age. Someone would always come out of her bedroom with a crown of candles on their head, wondering if their head would catch fire.
Their pool was our neighborhood pool. We spent every Wednesday in the summer eating dinner, swimming, and listening to our parents laughing, arguing, singing, and there was always music…so much dancing and joy.
In the spring, they created their beautiful garden, and in the fall, they played soccer and collected candy on Sunday afternoons.
So many beautiful moments in life and I am eternally grateful for them all. To JB (Johan) Claes and Andy (Anders) Bergstrom… Thank you for sharing them with us all these years.
Shestin, I hope Björn has prepared a beautiful flower garden for you and that you enjoy Yust One together.
I will miss you forever and ever and never forget your voice and your laughter…Helan Gar…my favorite and much loved drinking song.
Another funny little ditty was that my father had a bush that only bloomed three days a year. He called it the Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow bush. He would call Kris every year and have her come and look at it. Kris and Björn took a cutting from that bush and gave it to me shortly after my wedding. Unfortunately, my green thumb wasn’t what they had hoped and it died, but the memory remains.”
We are so grateful to Karen for sharing her words and the love and beautiful memories she and so many others have associated with the passing of this very special woman. May God comfort the Bergstrom family and all who love this wonderful woman so much.
Karen’s words reflected a way of life…a way of life that Kris lived and shared…we will forever cherish her memory at Valley Home.
*****
As always, you can reach me via email at [email protected] or via text or phone at 209-985-5233.
