On this day, exactly three years, my dad, my sister and I drove to Smögen to visit my mother’s grave. My dad – 2009. I couldn’t be prouder! The graveyard where my mother lies is peacefully situated at the end of the island, close to the sea. The air is fresh and it’s almost always [...]

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I think so much about my mother these days. It’s been three years since she passed away, but the missing just grows and grows. So does my respect for her. When she was alive, there were so many things I took for granted. Whenever we argued, she would tell me: “One day you will understand”. [...]

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It’s Easter in Sweden and spring is on its way. The snow has melted, but the winds are still cold. My dad got restless on Thursday and there was somewhere he just had to go. We took the train and traveled north, …to Smögen, my mother’s island on the West Coast of Sweden. My dad [...]

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If I could turn back time I would relive all those moments again The good and the bad The wonderful and the painful The laughter and the tears If I could turn back time I would hold my breath and be still I would take in every sight Every smell, every look, every word spoken [...]

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Dad, do you remember? Two years ago on Monday you called me from Sweden at 5 am Niger time, to tell me that my mother had drawn her last breath. My heart panicked and I asked you, are you sure? Are you really, really sure she’s gone? You were so brave. You strengthened me. You [...]

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Bettan Garvi on the ice, 1975 Arne Victor Garvi on the ice, 2008 I love you both so very dearly! For a recap of the above, here is the post that tells the story: Retracing my roots.

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Bettan Garvi, Tunisia, 1986

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Mormor. If I could just turn back time, I would come and sit at your table. I would share a Swedish fika with you and I would listen to your heart. It was so beautiful. Mormor, my very own dearest grandmother. You loved your maker more than anyone I have ever met. Your heart was [...]

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When Sifra was born, Renate’s parents came over with Tabita and Priscilla, so that the whole family could share a moment with her. Priscilla, too young to understand the concept of death, was proud to recognize “the baby” everyone had talked about. Tabita sat for a long time and looked at the baby sister they [...]

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It’s my mother’s birthday today. She would have been 57 years old. It’s the day before taking the flight to Africa, but it’s still a special day. Her day. Like any daughter, I would have given a lot just to be able to share a cup of coffee again and talk about the little things; [...]

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I am off to my mother’s island Smögen today to share a moment with family and friends and to hold a presentation about Eden’s work in Niger to the very first Friends of Eden (dating all the way back to 1985!). Talking about Eden is one of the things I love best in Sweden, because [...]

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Dear readers! Three weeks ago, www.esthergarvi.org saw its first guest blogger when my sister shared her thoughts on the choice of our parents to trade the comforts of Scandinavia for a meaningful life in Niger, West Africa. In 2006, after more than twenty years in the least developed country of the world, our mother fell [...]

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Dear readers! It is my honour to present www.esthergarvi.org’s very first Guest Blogger! Four years my elder and offering a unique perspective on the childhood that we shared, Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome my very own sister Miriam Garvi! * A LEGACY OF MEANING * by Miriam Garvi I consider my upbringing to be a [...]

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It’s mother’s day in Sweden today. I keep thinking of the things she said, and the stories she told. Although it’s been more than a year, it feels as only yesterday that I was lying in the bed next to her and talking about the little things in life. There will always be that part [...]

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