Giljagaur
Since I have not been snatched away by Grýla or Leppalúði, the Christmas cat has not eaten me and Stekkjastaur did not frighten me to death last night...let us continue our countdown of the Icelandic Yule lads. Tonight this troll to the left is coming down the hills.
His name is Gully Gawk or Gully Guy. He loves to lick the froth on the milk and always sneaks around where cows are close by. So, I think we all should be pretty safe tonight. The last cow I have seen in Reykjavik was ...well, never.
Today I got the best hug I have ever gotten. At work a woman that suffers from Alzheimer found herself all of a sudden in the living room alone. She got frightened. All our staff was somewhere busy bringing people to bed. She screamed.
Plagued by constant nightmares and memory loss the tiniest thing can upset her so very much. She must have been screaming for quite a while when I ran out of the room I was in and towards her, when she saw me her face lit up and she almost flew in my arms and hugged me. It was such a warm embrace and a relief on her face that we stood there for almost two minutes until she calmed and stopped shaking. She told me that she was so relieved to see my pretty face (her words not mine!-but I agree :) and that I was always so good to her. I put her to bed, sat at her bedside and talked to her about Christmas until she finally dozed off. I still feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
His name is Gully Gawk or Gully Guy. He loves to lick the froth on the milk and always sneaks around where cows are close by. So, I think we all should be pretty safe tonight. The last cow I have seen in Reykjavik was ...well, never.
Today I got the best hug I have ever gotten. At work a woman that suffers from Alzheimer found herself all of a sudden in the living room alone. She got frightened. All our staff was somewhere busy bringing people to bed. She screamed.
Plagued by constant nightmares and memory loss the tiniest thing can upset her so very much. She must have been screaming for quite a while when I ran out of the room I was in and towards her, when she saw me her face lit up and she almost flew in my arms and hugged me. It was such a warm embrace and a relief on her face that we stood there for almost two minutes until she calmed and stopped shaking. She told me that she was so relieved to see my pretty face (her words not mine!-but I agree :) and that I was always so good to her. I put her to bed, sat at her bedside and talked to her about Christmas until she finally dozed off. I still feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
14 Comments:
Two great and different stories. By cows, you mean the kind you get milk from, right?
Great story. The spirit of Christmas shines bright.
That's so sweet about the woman with Alzheimer's Disease. I take care of my daughter's (dddragon) mother-in-law on Monday afternoons. The MIL has Alzheimer's. It's a cruel thing.
I'm enjoying the Christmas stories!
That's a sweet hug story!
That's some wacky Christmas stuff goin' on there in Iceland! ;-)
Love both stories. Makes me want to come over and give you a hug Monika!
You Guys!
Doug, are there other cows? Ah, I get you now :)
Fred, It really is all within us. The rest is just iceing on the cake ;)
TLP, Alzheimer is a very cruel thing. It is bad for teh one who gets it and for teh relatives who have to make peace with the fact that the suffering person will wake up someday and not remember who they are. This might sound cruel, but I am always glad when the people with Alzheimer have crossed teh line and forgotten that they have Alzheimer. They suffer less.
Ap3, Yeah, we all go crazy aorund this time of year. It is fun however, for the kids especially.
Miz bohmeia, hug rigth back at you :)
i want a bedtime story too! ... it could be about cows
Sweet story honey, and if I ever get alzheimers (and lets face it, chances are I will) I should be so lucky to have u there taking care of me.
I'm playing catch up reading your posts here (my bad!) but I was touched by your hug story. You are an exceptional person, Monika.
Karma, next time I am in India I´ll stop by :)
Tryggvi, looks like someone else is gonna nurse you through illnesses, but I am sure whoever that person is...they are gonna treat you well.
Sar, yes I have noticed your absence, but the Christmas spirit prevented me from leaving a nasty comment on your blog :)
My mom is a saint for helping with my mother-in-law. You are a saint, too, by the looks of it.
Thx for the stories about the Christmas Spirits!
3d, I am not a saint. Far from it, but I do try to do my best most of the time. Sometimes-as everybody else´s-my actions are misguided. Sometimes, however, I am really proud of what I have done. It is a good feeling.
Monika, yo don't take this serious enough! Think of all the poor kids, having their meals stolen, doors banging asforth. Keep to the rules: don´t go near the mountains and phone mommy once a day and you will be safe!
Mom
And lock your door!!
Mom, lock the door-check
phone mommy once a day-check
don´t go near the moutnain-check
I shoudl be safe for another night. Closed all teh windows just in case.
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