When our Swedish exchange student, Brigitte, celebrated her 16th birthday with a quirky song from home that joked about aging and death, my wife Melissa snapped. Still grieving her father’s passing, she took the lyrics personally—and told Brigitte to pack her things and leave. But the very next day,
a violent storm hit. We needed to rescue Melissa’s elderly mother, and it was Brigitte—trained from her volunteer work back home—who helped us through the chaos. She stayed calm, cared for Helen with compassion,and never once hesitated, despite what had happenedhat night, as we sat in candlelight, Melissa finally broke down—apologizing, grieving, healing. Brigitte stayed. And by the end of it,
we were all singing the Swedish birthday song… together. Sometimes, a storm—and a misunderstood tradition—can bring a family closer than ever.
