Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.09.2017, Síða 4

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4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • September 1 2017
While out walking
my daughter’s dog
last week, I got to
thinking about New Year’s
resolutions and it dawned on me
that this would be a good time
to share my thoughts. What?
you may be thinking – it’s only
September. And that’s precisely
why the subject of New Year’s
resolutions is so timely. If we
ponder it for more than a minute,
the beginning of September is
when a new year really begins
for most people, even though
the number we attach to our
years doesn’t roll over until a
perfectly arbitrary day at the
beginning of January.
Ari the Wise, the twelfth-
century Icelandic historian,
regarded September 1st as the
beginning of the year, which
echoed the view of Pope Gregory
VII, but put him at odds with the
Icelandic establishment. In both
Europe and North America, the
academic year generally begins
in September, driven in large
measure by the natural cycles of
agricultural societies. So, when
I was a schoolboy and later a
university student, it was the
beginning of September that
felt like the start of a new year,
while January 1st felt more like
a welcome interruption when it
was a cold walk to school. I still
feel that way.
But back to walking the dog.
It occurred to me, while Tucker
and I were ambling down the
street, how wonderful it would
be if everyone resolved to devote
a portion of their time to some
voluntary activity or another.
(“Tithing our time” came to
mind, but that might seem too
religious or too onerous for
some.) Then I thought this
would make for a splendid New
Year’s resolution. And it struck
me that September would be the
right time to resolve to do it and
put it into action.
One of my favourite high
school teachers, now retired,
is a consummate volunteer
and he continues to inspire his
students by posting about his
activities on social media. Some
years ago, I saw him making
salad at a downtown homeless
shelter and soup kitchen. He’s
forever dropping off used items
for goodwill stores and new
foodstuffs for Winnipeg Harvest
and various animal shelters. And
he walks dogs for the Winnipeg
Humane Society – several times
a week. That’s why I thought of
his volunteer activities while out
walking Tucker.
Like other institutions in
our communities, Lögberg-
Heimskringla is dependent on
its small but dedicated corps
of volunteers whose generous
contributions of time enable us
to leverage our modest financial
resources: office volunteers,
board members, the marketing
team, writers, photographers,
golf tournament and events
volunteers, and occasional
volunteers. In any given year,
their efforts add up to tens of
thousands of dollars – perhaps
even six figures.
I’m an active volunteer
myself and I do tithe my time.
When I was actively serving as
a minister, I tried to volunteer
for activities that didn’t directly
benefit the church, since that
might have seemed self-serving.
I wanted to model the kind
of service that was for others.
These days, I serve on the boards
of the University of Winnipeg
and the St. James Scholarship
Foundation, I act as a tour
guide for visitors to Winnipeg,
volunteer for the political party
I support, and seek to pitch in
wherever I can.
We all benefit from the
work of volunteers, but I have
also found volunteering itself
to be exhilarating and deeply
satisfying. What could be better
than working with friends
in a common endeavour by
volunteering to do something
we enjoy for some purpose we
love? So I’ve resolved to keep
it up because today isn’t just the
first day of the rest of my life, as
the old saying goes: it’s the first
day of a new year.
Stefan's Saga
Stefan Jonasson
Editor
Volunteering – a New Year's resolution
Lögberg-
Heimskringla
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Heimskringla stofnað 9. september 1886
Lögberg stofnað 14. janúar 1888
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SECRETARY: Alicyn Goodman
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CANADA
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L-H DEADLINES
EDITORIAL SUBMISSION
DEADLINES FOR
SEPTEMBER 15, ISSUE 17
Monday August 21
FINAL EDITORIAL DEADLINE –
BREAKING NEWS ONLY
Tuesday September 5
Please advise the editor in advance if you are
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FINAL ADVERTISING DEADLINE
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EDITORIAL SUBMISSION
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sending a submission for the final deadline
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Our modern two storey care facility is government approved and specifically designed to offer a
homey atmosphere in a safe contemporary setting. We are located in Osborne Village convenient to all
ammenties and services.
‘Intermediate’ Personal Care is provided to those who are no longer able to manage in their current
living situation, yet are not quite ready for placement in a Personal Care Home.
Thorvaldson Care Center is the only Intermediate Care facility in Manitoba.
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AN INTERMEDIATE CARE FACILIT Y
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~ Recreational activities
Calling all literary, art, and film critics
The fall literary and cultural issue of Lögberg-Heimskringla
will be published on October 15th. We are inviting
submissions on whatever cultural matters catch your
fancy – book releases or reviews, art shows, new films you’ve
enjoyed (or even old ones that have become classics to you), or
your deeper reflections on matters of cultural interest. Don’t be
shy. We like an Icelandic or Nordic twist, of course, but mostly
we’re just interested in articles on cultural themes from our
readers and friends. Send your submission to the editor (stefan@
lh-inc.ca) by Friday, September 22, 2017.
CORRECTION
While dotting our i’s and
crossing our t’s in the August
15th issue, we neglected our
s’s – and on the front page,
no less. We spelled Shawn
Bjornsson’s name incorrectly
in the announcement of
Cliff Sveinson’s hole-in-
one at the Icelandic Open
golf tournament. We’d
like to apologize to Shawn
for leaving an “s” out of
Bjornsson. We noticed it
(albeit too late) although he
said he didn’t. We feel badly
that we didn’t get the name
of one of our most devoted
supporters letter perfect.
LH and Icelandic Camp volunteers at 2017
Íslendingadagurinn parade