Meeting and Parting

We have been anticipating Mary's arrival here for months.  She is SK's sister and has had her ticket for a long time.  We drove out to the airport this morning, parked and then went in to the terminal and stood in a long line of people awaiting visitors.  There is only one exit for all the incoming flights and so everyone goes through a pathway lined with happy people, some waving Danish flags and grinning from ear to ear, each looking eagerly for their special one(s) to come through the door.

SK was like a little boy as he waited....checking his watch, wondering if she had somehow gotten past us, hoping the trip had gone well for her.  Finally, she came through scanning the crowds for a familiar face.  It was so fun to watch them when they first saw each other.  I would have taken a picture, but I was too excited about the moment to remember.

We came back to the apartment, brought Mary's luggage in (and opened it up....she had some beautiful gifts for us that brought oohs and aahs and squeals of delight), and then set out on foot for Vor Frue Kirke where the Christus and Twelve Apostles sculptures are.  We sat in awe and reverence pondering the beauty of the special place.

Pressing forward, we headed out to the Walking Street and walked the length of it to Nyhavn.  Mary thought it was beautifully quaint and loved it....until the attack of the dreaded cobblestone sidewalks. We three were walking along and drinking in the sight of the lovely old buildings nestled along the harbor, and her foot caught on a stone and she was down before I could react.

Several compassionate men were there immediately to help.  We pulled her to her feet...her forehead and cheek were dark red and I was sure they would turn ugly blue and purple.  She had chipped a very small piece out of one of her front teeth.  Both hands and wrists were banged up and I suspect one of her knees will be bruised and sore. (I  am happy to report that by the time we ate dinner, her lovely face didn't look too much worse for the fall.  She has a small bruise under her eye and a small bump over her eyebrow....no black eyes or open wounds.)

We sat on a bench for a few minutes, while I worried about how badly she had hurt herself.  SK got us tickets for the harbor tour and then left for the temple, where he worked with the YSAs in the baptistry.  We had 15 there!

Mary insisted that we be one our way so that we didn't miss a thing.  She is a real stoic.  We saw everything you can see from the boat, including the Little Mermaid.  I think it was good for her to sit for awhile.  Then we got off and did quite a bit more walking (we headed for the Hans Christian Andersen souvenir shop - which was closed!!!), and it seemed to get colder and more windy.  So after a fair walk we took a bus the rest of the way home.

When SK got home, we all three had feijoada (Mary loved it!) and visited for while.

  At 10:00 our time, we were able to watch Kaye's funeral services (SK and Mary's sister) in Utah.  She is the sister who is between them in age, and she passed away this last week......their hearts are tender from this loss.  Our three daughters were all there and had their telephone on for Facetime (so we were able to see and hear it in real time).  It was held in a mortuary, and it was a wonderful tribute to a dear lady from her family.  What a blessing it was for us to be able to be a part of that sweet goodbye to her.

It was a full day, and a beautiful one...