Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.10.2018, Side 6

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6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • October 1 2018
We are all born into this world
not really knowing our fate.
But why are we here? What
have we come here to learn? Or better
yet, what do we come here to heal from?
As we blossom, we grow and
develop according to the beliefs and
values of the people and situations to
which we are exposed. Those energy
exchanges shape and mold the person
we have become in the present.
We experience love, joy, kindness,
innocence, and forgiveness. However,
we also feel hate, ridicule, fear, jealousy,
anger, and resentment. Most of those
emotions pass through us without any
repercussions. But some of the hurt
stays for years or even our entire lives.
Some hurt may be forgiven or let go, and
others may reside until we experience
“dis-ease”.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer,
and then found out I had the BRCA2
gene mutation that is linked to that
cancer. That is the beginning of my
healing story – one that continues to
unfold before my eyes as well as in my
heart.
I felt a distinct call to express myself
and wondered why. I thought back to
my grandparents. My amma Inga was
a fantastic storyteller. At bedtime she
would gently break the silence, mixing
real-life farm stories with a little make-
believe. But my eagerness came from
my afi Steini. He may not have been
a tall man, but he was a man of huge
magnitude when it came to hard work,
literature, poetry, and passion. He
would snatch us off the kitchen floor
as we ran by. As he bounced us on
his knee, our faces would become wet
with spit from his intense and ferocious
ability to recite poetry. Pure presence;
pure confidence. And if he screwed up,
he laughed at himself and continued.
The stories and passion are a huge part
of what makes me who I am.
My story consists of many healing
modalities – one of them being writing
and another reading.
I read through every piece of
information that crossed my path.
Some were sad stories but many
were stories of empowerment and of
miracles. I read so much that my brain
felt like exploding. Writing thoughts
down would begin to free my mind and
help put me at ease.
As well as doing standard treatment, I
looked at Chinese medicines, Ayurveda,
explored insights from a medical
intuitive, chiropractic and massage. I
visited the Bannock Point petroforms
and learned about the Indigenous people
and their healing traditions.
I wrote a speech and spoke at a
Terry Fox Run. And to my surprise, for
that one day my anxiety lifted. There,
I experienced the power of writing and
speaking one’s truth.
I discovered Integrated Energy
Therapy, which would also be a life-
changing experience for the better.
It helped me uncover where my
unprocessed emotions and deep sadness
had been residing in my body. As the
unwanted emotions were wept out, new
and exciting opportunities, vision, and
insight began to unfold.
During chemotherapy I struggled
with my happiness. Somewhere along
the journey I started a Gratitude Journal,
because I read somewhere that it can
change your life in profound ways. As
I sat on the edge of the bed crying, I
opened my notebook. I had nothing.
My whole world was crumbling. What
could I possibly be grateful for? I didn’t
even think I was worthy enough to have
things to be grateful for. That first day
I struggled to write one thing, but days
later my hand started cramping as I
filled the pages with gratitude.
This gave me the inspiration to
apologize to my loved ones for all my
wrongdoings and to move on to really
experience what it is like to feel alive
– to create a life that my spirit had been
longing for.
I invite you to join me in upcoming
issues of the paper, as I share my journey.
Why do I write?MEL’S MOMENTS
Melanie Johannesson
Riverton, MB
More than 30 years
ago, Patricia Allred
began a journey to
document the lineage of every
Icelander who has ever lived
in Minnesota, whether a full-
blooded Icelander or not. Her
plan was not to document
individual histories back a
thousand years – there are
several of ways to do that –
but to document their life from
the time they set foot in North
America to their family today.
Pat and her husband,
Eugene, made many trips to
Iceland, pouring over parish
records, passenger logs, census
documents, and other historical
papers. They also researched
the vital records in each of
the 84 counties in Minnesota,
looking for Icelanders. Family
histories and stories also
contributed greatly in her
work. All this resulted in a
rich database and a “book” of
over 1,000 pages that includes
pioneer settlers, newer arrivals,
and their descendants.
I thought I knew my own
Icelandic story: my great-
grandfather and his brothers
came to North America, one
going to Canada and the
others coming to Minneota,
Minnesota. Of my great-
grandfather’s children,
my grandfather was the
only to marry and have a
family. Similarly, my great-
grandmother’s family seemed
small; she had one brother who
had two children who never
married. However, her mother
came from a family of 10,
seven of whom emigrated to
Minneota and raised families.
Through Pat’s research,
I learned I have common
relatives with many families in
the area.
It was not uncommon for
pioneer families to move west
as land became available. From
Minnesota, the Icelanders
settled in such areas as North
Dakota, Colorado, Montana,
California, and Washington
state. Others headed to Canada
and settled there, and some
settlers changed their minds
about emigration and returned
to Iceland. While these moves
are noted in Pat’s work, the
focus is on those that stayed in
Minnesota and their subsequent
generations.
Pat passed away in 2014.
Shortly before her death she
asked me to be the curator
of her work and to help get it
published. Her goal was to
have her work live on with
new generations added to the
document. The first release on
CD became available in 2015
and a renewed effort to update
the information will be made
over the coming year. I’d love
to work with you on ensuring
the information is complete
and up-to-date, and to gather
any family stories that would
enhance the family picture.
Photos are also welcome. So,
if you are all or part Icelandic
and live in Minnesota, or have
family members that have
lived in Minnesota, or you just
aren’t sure, please contact me at
icelandersinmn@gmail.com.
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annual giving
Mail or fax the completed forms to:
Lögberg-Heimskringla Inc.
835 MARION STREET,WINNIPEG, MB R2J 0K6 Canada
Telephone: 1-866-564-2374 | Fax: (204) 284-7099 | Email: lh@lh-inc.ca
or donate online on our secure website: www.lh-inc.ca

HEIMSKRINGLA
The Icelandic Community Newspaper
LÖGBERG
Pre-Authorized Payments Available
Please contact: audrey@lh-inc.ca or call Tel: 204.284.5686 Ext. 106
Fax: (204) 284-7099 Toll-free: 1-866-564-2374 (1-866-LOGBERG)
Cheque (Payable to Lögberg-Heimskringla, Inc.)
Credit Card
Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
Credit Card # Expiry Date /
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Home Phone Business
Mobile Date
Email
My total Annual Gift will be: $
Contributions will be: Monthly Annually Beginning / /
Dianne O’Konski
Minneapolis, MN
Robert T. Kristjanson
125 5th Avenue
Gimli, MB R0C 1B0
Fax: 204-642-7306
Phone: 204-642-5283
Wouldn’t your amma and afi be proud?
THE ICELANDIC NATIONAL LEAGUE OF NORTH AMERICA
Tel: (204) 642 5897
Email: inl@mts.net www.inlofna.org
Are you proud of your Icelandic Heritage?
Do you want to see it preserved for your children and grandchildren?
Are you a member of your local Icelandic Club?
Don’t know where they are or who to contact?
Visit our website for more information or contact our INL office.
If you don’t have a club in your area but are interested in
forming one, please call the INL office.
WELL CONNECTED: ICELANDERS OF MINNESOTA