Returning was never a choice, but a necessity. When the Euro crisis hit, he lost it all, his business, his condo and his wife. Returning to the house of his father was a defeat.
After the first day he had looked in disgust at the blisters developing on his, once carefully manicured, hands. But gradually his body got used to the labor of clearing terraces his grandfather had once claimed from the mountainside.
As he washed himself to meet his childhood playmate, now his bride to be, he felt like roots developing to his ancestor’s soil. He was home again.
Copyright Björn Rudberg
To find your own picture being this week’s picture was a sweet surprise. It was also more difficult to write on your own picture. For those unfamiliar with Madeira, I can tell it’s a blessed lush island in the Atlantic. It’s part of Portugal, and a paradise for hiking. You hike often on levadas which are water channels in the mountainside, providing water to the terraced plots. In the picture you can see the levada passing between the houses.
Friday Fictioneers is a group of bloggers under Rochelle‘s leadership. Each Wednesday a new picture, a new challenge. It should be about 100 words (which I try to keep).
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January 22, 2014
Björn Rudbergs writings 
funny how life will turn us around like that…and sometimes in losing everything we find the most important things….humbling indeed….
I think some humans have a wonderful way of getting rooted again… others would just wither.
Excellent and heartwarming–thank you for the post and the picture!
At first so sad then such a happy ending! Thank you.
Beautiful photo Bjorn, and an inspiring story to go with it. Nice one.
I enjoyed your story, Björn! I like how you started with the curse of the Euro crisis and ended on a much more positive note.
A beautiful story Bjorn !Yes,most of us are capable of turning the tables on fate if we put our hearts to it :-)Thank you for the note on Madeira;-)
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The silver lining in every cloud….very nice.
Sometimes it takes leaving, and losing, to appreciate being back home. Excellent story!
Such a lovely story, and so nice to end on a positive note. (And thanks for the wonderful picture this week Bjorn.)
I love the soil/dirt elements in your story. That always feels real to me – maybe because one of my favorite scents is earth and it comes to me when I read about it!
The smell of dirt and soil is one of the things I recall from the walks… always present
I can imagine it being difficult to come up with a story for your own photo. But you nailed it. A good coming home story.
Lovely story – I’m not surprised he finally felt at home in such a beautiful landscape.
If the first step to overcoming defeat is acceptance, your character is on his way. An interesting plot, Bjorn, and thanks for the photos, and the memories.
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All 100 were phenomenal, but of them, “he felt like roots developing to his ancestor’s soil” was my hands-down favorite.
Pleasantly surprised by the ending, nice job!
Beautifully told story Bjorn. You create a sense of belonging so vividly. Well done.
A fairytale ending 😀 I loved this
thank you for the beautiful photo Björn. and for the beautiful story. 🙂
Lovely with a nice ending!
Home is where heart is 🙂 Love the carefully chosen words…Very beautiful !
“he was home again” – a great resolution.
Thank you for this beautiful photo, Bjorn.
I loved your story. Enforced change like that really does make us re-evaluate what is important. The pain comes from resisting it, and wishing we were back with what we had before. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but worth it (every time!).
This was a touching romantic story I enjoyed very much. I was wondering where this picture was taken. Thanks for clearing that up.
It’s a fantastic pic to work with. There’s just so much character
Bjorn, I really enjoyed this story. It sounds as though he came home in more ways than one–to a meaningful life, to his bride, to his roots. Lovely.
janet
another wonderful story, Bjorn, and love how childhood friendships become something more. thank you both for the story and lovely photograph.
who says you can’t go home again? everybody is entitled to second chances. great story.
I really like this. Sometimes a return to the simple life is the best medicine for a broken heart. Great story. Loved the picture too!
Lovely story Bjorn! I love the picture and love the houses. This reminds me a lot of Northwest Arkansas – where I am from. Thanks for providing a beautiful picture to write about! Nan
Loved your photo Björn, and you did a great job with your own prompt. Great sense of place, and the idea of going back to where you’re from. Wonderful!
Dear Björn,
I love the way the story brought us from defeat and despair to hope. Well done.
I had a tough time choosing from all of your wonderful photos. You’ll see more in the future. Thank you!
Shalom,
Rochelle
Nice little tale 🙂
Love the happy ending, Bjorn! And thank you for a wonderful photo 🙂
Soil, nature, outdoors can feed a soul in ways that city folk can only dream of. I’m thrilled that he has connected with his roots and been won over.
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How lovely that he married his childhood playmate. This is enchanting, Bjorn. Great photo!
Lovely love story…
Thank you for the beautiful photo Björn and this lovely tale of redemption.
2nd comment from me Bjorn – I just wanted you to know that I really do love the color of the gate on the grey manor – I was just kidding in my story – your story was so moving. Thanks for the picture. Nan
I guess you really CAN go home again. The best part is that he is feeling good about the future. Well done, Bjorn. Great photo too.
Great photo for this week–thanks. I liked how you had us down low in the depths of despair, then bumped us up to a happy ending. And thanks for the comment on mine.
Cool, cool and VERY cool, Bjorn! I especially like the idea of the guy going back to his roots and you’ll KNOW he’ll be a success again. Nice job this week! Happy New Year!
A heartwarming story, and a great photo! Thanks Björn.
That’s a lovely story. There’s hope yet for the rest of us. Hopefully.
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