the last saturday of shopping before Christmas . . . my aunt and i went into our small town . . . there must have been atleast 15 cars parked on main street . . . well there should have been 20, but it is bitterly cold today - with windchill - so only us brave folks were out and about . . .
i actually had my Christmas sauna today (did you know sauna is a finnish word?) . . . that is one Finnish tradition i love . . . we don't have a sauna in our home - so i go to my aunts . . . i am a week early with my sauna - but, beggars can't be choosers . . .
every home in Finland (including individual apartments - no kidding!) has a sauna . . . there are more sauna's in Finland than bathtubs!!! saunas are places where Finns reflect on life, sweat out their troubles and feel rejuvenated and ready to face the world again . . . at Christmas it ties into that holy of Seasons . . . so today was my day to sweat out my problems . . . pray a bit . . . throw more water on the hot rocks . . . and face the world, clean inside and out . . .
my wish for you today? why a Christmas sauna of course!
3 comments:
Oh Saija, I had never heard of that tradition before. That sounds wonderful! I would love to relax in quiet warmth with no distractions. Can you send one my way? :-)
Hi Linda
i'm glad i could share that tradition . . . i am still feeling so refreshed after my sauna day . . . even tho' the thermostat says -35C . . . i started the day feeling plain old good - inside and out!
i was looking at all your family pics . . . and reading the notes you had posted . . . what great kids! you must have done something right . . . :o)
Thank you for your kind words! Yes, they are great kids. But they are great *despite* us as parents...the glory goes to the Lord! :-)
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