Happy 15th birthday, Agnetha Dollskog

 We've entered the year of 15th anniversaries for my dolls, which is so crazy to me.  15 years is a long time to be celebrating a literal doll's birthday, but there's nothing wrong with it.  Happy 15 years to my first homemade ABBA doll. :'D

 

Rest in peace, Lena Ulvaeus

Today Bjorn's second wife, our dear Lena, passed away at age 76.  Lena and Bjorn first met at a party at Benny and Frida's place in probably early 1979, and became a couple pretty quickly. (and to the people who get upset that Bjorn "moved on so quickly" from Agnetha, the two of them had been separated for quite a bit already, and the announcement to the public was in January 1979.)  Bjorn mentioned during the daily countdown on ABBA's instagram back in 2021 that when he wrote Super Trouper, it was inspired by missing Lena while out on tour.  The two of them went on to marry in 1981, and together Bjorn and Lena had two beautiful daughters, Emma and Anna.  Unfortunately Bjorn and Lena divorced in 2022, after 40 years of marriage.

I hate that from the get-go, ABBA fans were hateful towards Lena, always comparing her to Agnetha, never accepting that these are real people.  The way that media would always compare the two ladies in appearance, hairstyle, dress, etc.  It's just plain rude.  I wish I could say I wasn't a part of that initial dislike of Lena, but when I first became an ABBA fan as a literal child and was just discovering the love story that was the basis for the ABBA members' all meeting each other, only then to read about how they all divorced, I too was upset that what looked to me like true love had been broken.  And I am so sorry and regretful that I even felt that way, and I've matured and I have nothing to be upset at Lena about (or Mona, Benny's wife), and I appreciate her.

I remember when I was younger and would browse the internet and read fan experiences and encounters meeting the ABBA members back in the 70s and 80s, so often I would read stories of how fans would go to Bjorn's house hoping to meet him, but he wouldn't be home.  However instead Lena would greet them kindly and was always super friendly to the fans.  

Just like we still to this day celebrate Agnetha and Bjorn's marriage long after they've split, there should be no reason to not celebrate Lena and Bjorn's marriage as well.

 Rest in peace Lena.  Sending lots of love to her entire family.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Happy New Year, may we all have a vision now and then, of a world where every neighbor is a friend