To Remind You

of Norway the Summer of 1957.

There was something satisfying in those simple words written in white calligraphy on the black pages of Great Grandma Lena's scrapbook.

She received this collection of photographs from her young niece who'd collected images during the one-and-only visit Lena paid to her homeland in 1957 – 51 years after immigrating to the United States.

I paged through the album earlier this summer with Lena's granddaughters before our Norway Bound trip. They helped uncover mysteries, like this one – of memorabilia.

I received a Nordic sweater from Dan's dad in 2004 after his mom (Lena's last surviving child) died. Neither he nor his sister recognized the sweater. Since I collect all-things Norwegian, he gave me the sweater and shrugged when I asked, "Could it have been Lena's?"

The sweater had no tags. Its wristbands and waistband were basket weaved not ribbed. The pewter buttons were secured with handmade loops, not holes. All these traits indicated a hand-knit sweater. Yet no one remembered Lena knitting such sweaters. The orange, tan, light green and dark brown colors against the off-white background indicated the garment's mid-1900s fashion. I washed and stored the garment in wonder.

Paging through Lena's scrapbook this summer, her granddaughter pointed to a particular photo of Lena. "Look! There's Grandma in her sweater," she said. "I remember her wearing that. It was tan, orange and brown."

My eyes bulged. Quietly, I slipped into the bedroom and retrieved the mysterious garment I'd packed away years ago. I brought it to the granddaughter who cried out, "Grandma's sweater!"

The picture in the Lena's scrapbook triggered her granddaughter's memory. Wearing the Norwegian sweater in this photo most likely indicates that Lena added the garment to her wardrobe during that three-month stay in her homeland.

Our summer travels unraveled many mysteries about Grandma Lena's immigration. Lena's nieces, nephews and their children extended incredible hospitality and offered great help answering our many questions. How does one properly offer gratitude – for a such visit that just happened to occur 51 years after Grandma Lena's return?

Appreci-
ating how photographs jog the memory, I decided to collect highlights of our visit in a small album and send it to Grandma's niece. In a few days, she should received the collection and see handwritten on its white pages:

To Remind You of our four days in Trøndelag the Summer of 2008.