“My husband calls me from the drama school where he was teaching “have you heard the news” with an apocalypse sound in his voice and my immediate response was “no and don’t tell me”. This was the day we will never forget. This was 9/11 2001 My bed at the hospital happened to be in the room just opposite the tv-room where everybody gathered to look at the television streaming life images from NY with the airplanes flying into the World Trade Centre building.
I had just given birth to a child into a world that was collapsing. Nobody knew what was going to happen, if world war III had just started or what. I only knew I didn’t want to hear any of this. I needed to protect myself and be there for my baby. I needed all my strength to take care of my child.” I would love to have had the opportunity to talk about this experience with my grandmother, Svava Gísladóttir, (11.9.1922-16.12.1997) who would have celebrated her 99th birthday today.
My grandparents Svava and Geiri with their first children, my mother Sólrún and her brother Gísli Thor.
Svava “amma” was fortunate enough not to live through this day of horror. She on the other hand had the traumatic experience of giving birth to a still born child. I never heard my grandmother speak about this, ever. My mother told me the story as I grew up, of her mother coming back from the hospital, having gone from home fully pregnant to give birth to a new sister or brother. But my grandmother returned home alone and none of the children at home got any explanation about what happened. My mother was around 10 years old. My mother later found out the back story from her aunt. My grandmother had been infected by rubella (rauðir hundar) in her eight month of pregnancy and the baby didn’t survive. Probably it wasn’t clear until when she gave birth, since there were no sonars or equipment to really make sure. This was never spoken about at home when my mother was growing up. I can’t imagine how it was to deal with this in the times you just had to bury your grief deep down and live with it.
My mother Sólrún, my grandmother Svava, and my great grandmother Magðalena Lára have all been called home. 
Four generations on my mothers side at my christening.
Then I would create safe space for us and offer them some of the healing tools that have helped me through difficult times. Tools that are accessible for me as a woman today that our ancestors did not have access to and I am so grateful for. Then after that we would have some tea and talk about that experience and have a good laugh and maybe some good cry on the way.
I am grateful for the fact that today I will have a session with my Shamanic group. Maybe they will be with us in spirit. I will send them good thoughts. Today it is also the first session with my group “The Magic of Gratitude” and I am really looking forward to that journey with the amazing healer Jóhanna jónasdóttir: Link
Thank you for reading.
I wish you a wonderful day.
Full of gratitude for all the little things in your life that one day your realize were big.
Love Thorey
Featured image is of me and my daughter Hera and my son Oddur Sigthor, born 7.9.2001
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