According to Jewish tradition a man dies twice. First physically and then when his name was no longer mentioned. When the world forgets you and the traces you left on your life path, then you are gone forever.

Memory should help us remember.

The German art project ‘Stolpersteine’ or stumbling block started by Gunter Demnig in 1993 is a small round stone with a brass name plate commemorating the Jews and other victims who were deported and killed by the Nazis. 75,000 stones have now been placed in front of houses and apartments where war victims lived in 26 countries in Europe. You’ll find two of them in Mosjøen.

There are still millions of stumbling blocks.

When you stumble You are disturbed and amazed by such a warning on a street in a European city.

You must never forget the evils of the world or that all people have the same values. It is also possible that your name is engraved in stone. So maybe you did something extra nice for someone else or yourself today.

Book also a memory.

Simon Stranger’s ‘Encyclopedia of Light and Darkness’ is all about the Holocaust. I’m surprised that Stranger uses so many words to describe Henry Rinnan as a human. But yes, we all have dark and light sides. We must not forget that either. We influence other people, both negatively and positively. And we know from history and today’s news that human wickedness, madness, and malice lead to the misery and death of others.

We must not be displaced bad stories. In the north, entire parts of the country were ravaged by war. My mother used to talk about people fleeing burning Finnmark and coming to the island of Helgeland.

I was brought up on stories about one of the world’s greatest ship disasters, the sinking of the “Rigel”. A witness told me about all the bodies piled up in what was then my bedroom in Rosøya.

There are so many stories that we can’t forget.

Roy Jacobsen highlights the repressed war history that Norway has forgotten in the ‘eyes of Rigel’.

Ida Larmo’s cartoon ‘Rigel – an echo of injustice’ has received several national awards.

We would like to thank Trond Carlsen for his tireless documentation work on “Rigel”. New editions and revisions of Carlsen sold out in record time.

We need such commemorations because they awaken our collective memories and mark our hearts.

For me are words also memories.

But they are so fleeting. You may soon forget what I said, which is very important for me to tell you. And when we both die, there will be no trace left.

Everyone deserves to be remembered after their death. And we must not forget. We must remember those who lost their lives too early through accident, disease, on the run or in senseless wars. Those who sacrificed their lives for us.

So it’s up to each of us to make our own mark.

Someone remembers you until the last time your name was called.

Then the story about you is no longer there. In this darkest and strangest season of Advent, it’s so important to spread joy to one another – while we still can. I probably wrote about it last Christmas too. So you remember that words and love are the most precious gifts you can give. The gift brings twice the joy and is quite free. It only costs a little to say. And you.

You are sure to find some kind words to give that the other person may want to remember for the rest of their life.

Happy Advent!