Letters to Freya – Gjertsen [dot] ca

Letters to Freya: Din Flott-Tante Louise

Rob Gjertsen — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 16:02:03 +0000

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Hello Little One,

In November of last year, we suffered a loss in our family. Your Great-Aunt Louise passed away, aged 95. She was your Bestefar’s oldest sister, the matriarcal figure of the Gjertsen Family at the time, and meant a lot to both your Mom and me.

She met you on three different occasions, the first of which was when you were 4 days old. In hindsight, and after looking through the photos of that day, I regret that we didn’t get any pictures of you with her that day, nor on any subsequent visit.

I visited her two weeks before she passed away. We were able to have a video chat with you and Mommy, so that she could see and talk to you. She loved that conversation.

One of the things she said to me, is she wanted all of us to know how much she loved us all, how proud she was of everyone, and she didn’t want us to forget her. She wanted us to remember her.

Family is everything Freya. It is something that I talk to you about, even now at just 3 years old. We always love each other, no matter what. We can be angry, and frustrated, and even not like each other very much in the moment. But not matter what, we always love each other.

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Letters to Freya: Flott-Tante Mary

Rob Gjertsen — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 22:58:10 +0000

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Dear Freya,

I am writing this to you from the Business Lounge of the Edmonton International Airport, while Uncle Mike and I wait for our flight back home. We came here to meet the owner of a Canadian Tire store that we do business with, but most importantly on this trip, we attended the Celebration of Life for one of our customers who passed away.

Life is an amazing thing Freya, and it is something you should cherish, but most importantly it is something you should live.

This past Thursday (July 13, 2017) your Flott-Tante (Great-Aunt) Mary passed away. Born on June 5, 1925 in Norway, she came to Canada (with my Bestemor, as well as my Aunt-Louise) she was 7 she was years old, and was 92 years old when she passed away.

This might sound silly, because you don’t understand right now and will never remember that day, but telling you that she had passed away was not an easy conversation for me to have with you – but it will be but one of many conversations like that as your father, throughout the remainder of my life.

I hope you grow to have the deep respect I have for those we have lost, and to show them the respect and honour they deserve, and cherish the memory of those we lost with everyday of our lives, by living that which we are given – life.

All My Love,

Daddy.

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Letters to Freya: 10 Months Ago…

Rob Gjertsen — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 23:10:25 +0000

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Hello Little One.

10 months ago today, your Mother and I had our lives changed forever, and as much as someone who isn’t a parent will say they are ready for parenthood there is truly nothing that fully prepares you.

You might be wondering what I mean by this.

Were we ready? Yes, as much as one can be, except for one thing.

And that is you. I don’t think there is any way someone can every be truly prepared for just how much their child, and in this case for us – you, will completely change their lives.

Freya, I don’t now if I will ever do an adequate job of explaining to you articulately just how much you have changed our lives, and how much you captivate us on a daily basis.

I love putting you to bed at night, because it means I will be waking you up in the morning, and waking you up in the morning is such a special thing, as you will give me the biggest smiles as you are waking up and realize it’s a new day and you are able to get up and start seeing the world and what is happening that day.

2 weeks ago, you crawled up the stairs for the first time. And the second. And the third. And the fourth. And…well, you get the idea. Right now, that is your ‘big’ thing – wanting to crawl up the stairs – and if you aren’t allowed to, you are very upset.

A few other things you might like to know, include:

You have 5 teeth.
You said your first word a couple weeks ago, which was: dog (and you did use it in context).
You are saying ‘mama’ and ‘dada’ frequently, and with much enthusiasm now.
You are still trying to play with Cali’s food and water dishes, which you’re not supposed to.

I wanted to share those few thing with you.

All My Love,

Daddy

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Letters to Freya: God Jul Min Datter

Rob Gjertsen — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 15:18:12 +0000

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Dear Freya,

Today is December 24, 2016 – Christmas Eve – and we will be celebrating your first Christmas this year. I cannot express adequately in words just how happy we are to have you here with us to do so, but to say that we are thrilled would be an over simplification of said facts.

Christmas Eve has a very special place in my life, for it is when the Norwegian part of our family always celebrated Christmas. We would all go down to your Oldemor’s house (she was my Bestemor), and everyone from my Dad’s side of the family would be there. We would sing Christmas carols, and exchange gifts, and eat lots of treats (Oldemor was an amazing baker, and her lefsa was always my favourite thing to have).

This morning I woke up to your squeals, as Mommy unwrapped you from your swaddle – those sounds are priceless to me. Coming downstairs to see you when you’re cuddling with Mommy, and when you see me you give me a great big heart – everything stressful and negative melts away in that moment. I live for your smiles.

All My Love,

Daddy.

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Letters to Freya: The World You Were Born Into

Rob Gjertsen — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 15:22:06 +0000

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Dear Freya,

Today is November 7, 2016 – a Monday. I am currently sitting in seat 4D of a Boeing 757, on Delta flight DL952. I am traveling from Seattle to Atlanta, on my way to Orlando, FL. This is the week that I (normally) attend the IT Nation technology conference.

This is a week that is important for the company, and you father’s professional career, which in turn means it is important to us as a family. The downside, is of course that I have to spend time away from both Mommy, you, and Cali. To be spending a week away from you at this point in time, a time that you only just finished turning 2-months old, is difficult. Everyday you do something new. To miss a week of these ‘firsts’ is a big loss to me – I want you to know that.

Tomorrow is Election Day in the United States. As a Canadian, I don’t fully comprehend the American electoral structure, but I do understand that I have no time for their political system as a whole.

This election race, between the two candidates (Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, and Republican candidate Donald Trump), has in my opinion not been around political matters. It has been more about slinging mud towards the other candidate, and dragging as many skeletons out of the other person’s closet that you can possibly find. Politics is a dirty, and in my opinion corrupt, and broken system.

Hillary Clinton has, in my opinion, a very good likelihood of becoming the first female US President in history. I find it sad that this is a story of topic in itself. Why you ask? Well, simply put: It shouldn’t be news. We should be in a world today, where the candidates sex shouldn’t matter.

What I really want to speak to you about today, is the Republican candidate, Donald J Trump. Here is a candidate for the President of the United States of America, a country with which I believe Canada has a close alley and a good neighbour. We share with each other the longest land border in the world, something I think both countries should take great pride in.

Donald Trump has been shown to have made comments in 2005 (at the age of 59) which were extremely sexist and extremely disrespectful towards women. He has also become engaged in some extremely deplorable verbal comments towards other candidates, not just women. These words have from a presidential candidate, someone to whom children should be able to look towards as an example.

As a father of a little girl, I am additionally appalled with the manner of his conduct and the comments he has made, and his dismissal that it was ‘locker room talk’. I am more appalled that there are large numbers of individuals who agree with him. I am even more outraged, that more people have not stood in defiance of the comments he has made. As a man, as a husband, and as a father, to say that I share these demographics with this individual, fills me with shame.

I am not going to lie to you. There are a lot of things in this world that is unfair, and unjust. Whether you experience or see it as sexism, racism, bigotry, prejudice, or inequality, there is a lot of discrimination in this world, and you will find it in all areas, and in all walks of life. Acceptance of others is a value with which not everyone is brought up believing in. Other may find through the events and experienced in their lives, might taint them towards a particular demographic. But there is a lot of good in this world also.

What I wanted to say to you today, is this. I promise to do all I can to introduce, drive and encourage positive change. I commit to you that I will do what I can to improve the spaces and environments in which I find myself. To ensure that not only I conduct myself in a manner with which you would be proud of me as your father, but that I spur that same conduct and change in others.

Freya, your Mother and I love you dearly, and think the absolute world of you. Every day you do new things, and leave me in absolute wonder. We are blessed to share our lives with you, and I look forward to seeing you and Mommy soon.

All My Love,

Dad.

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Letters to Freya: The Day After You Were Born

Rob Gjertsen — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 15:31:02 +0000

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I wrote the letter below, the evening of August 31st, the day after Freya was born.

Dear Freya,

The day you were born was a very busy day.

Your Mom woke me up at 5:30am, to tell me that her water had broken. We proceed to call the maternity ward at Langley Memorial Hospital (LMH), and went in. It was there that we confirmed that your Mom’s water had broken, and because of that she could no longer go home.

Unfortunately LMH didn’t have enough staff to admit Mommy, and we were transferred to Ridge Meadows Hospital, where she was admitted.

You were born at 10:12pm, on Tuesday August 30th, 2016, weighing 6 lbs 3 oz, measured 19 inches long, with a full head of hear, and you started crying within seconds of being born. It might sound funny, but I was very happy to hear you cry, because I have always been told hearing a baby cry right after being born, is a good sign that things are ok.

You were named Freya Eileen Faith Gjertsen.

‘Freya’ is a very Norse (Norwegian) name, that your Mommy and I liked as we were discussing possible baby names, and it is what we decided your name was once we saw you after you were born.

‘Eileen’ comes from the middle name of your Great-Grandma Rutz, whose name was Eleanor Eileen Rutz.

‘Faith’ comes from your Bubby, as her name is Sandra Faith Pavelich (it is also your Mother’s Confirmation name).

At the very moment I am writing this letter to you, we are still at the hospital (Room 204), and you are with you Mother nursing after just having a bath (which you did not like, and cried very loudly over).

So far today you have met and seen, Bubby, Bestamor, Bestafar, Auntie Alicia, Uncle Tim, and Georgia! Auntie Jenn and Uncle Mike weren’t able to make it to the hospital to see you today, but if we get discharged from the hospital tomorrow, you will see them at home tomorrow.

Freya, I could not be more happy and thrilled than I am right now (I am tearing up at this very moment). After going through the labour and delivery process with your Mom, I could not be more proud of her than I am each time I look at you.

Anyways, that’s about all I have to say tonight. I hope you have a decent sleep here for a little while, and look forward to taking you home tomorrow.

All My Love,

Daddy.

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