The First of May

May 1. is known as a day of International Labour Solidarity. Wikipedia says it like this:

Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. The majority of countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1, and it is popularly known as May Day and International Workers' Day.

In Norway it has been a Public holiday since World War 2. The day itself is worthy of many posts, but that is not what I'm about to cover here.

For many people the day also hold a personal memory. My father was born on 01.05.1915. He was the second youngest of five children on a typical small, West-coast Norwegian farm. My grandfather was also the local teacher. Since my father could not inherit the farm, he became a carpenter and worked as such until the Nazi-invasion in April 1940. He took part in the fight against the invaders and survived. It was a harassing experience, but he seldom talked about it. Later on he had to go "underground" for a long period to avoid being drafted for work for the Nazi-authorities. During this period he survived thanks to his family and his fiancée, my future mother.

Shortly before the end of the war they married, and he later got a job with the Norwegian Railways (NSB) where he worked until he was pensioned off. It can truly be said of him that he belonged to the generation that built this country. In addition he also built with his own hands the cottage seen at the top of the post. It is close to the farm where he himself was born. After his retirement, he and my mother lived there every year from Easter until the end of September. It is also here where my own heart, such as it is, belongs.

He lost his dear wife and he also almost lost his only son. He sat beside my bed when I got a cerebral stroke. I would have spared him that at all cost, but I think he handled it better than I did. He died in 2003, less than a year before my own operation, but he knew there was this hope for me.

Today was his birthday - he would have been 94 years old. This post is made in memory of him.

I still miss him.