Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.06.2019, Side 4

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4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • June 15 2019
“He opened the jar of
pickles when no one else
could,” reminisced Erma
Bombeck about her father. “He
was the only one in the house
who wasn’t afraid to go into
the basement by himself. He
cut himself shaving, but no one
kissed it or got excited about
it. It was understood when
it rained, he got the car and
brought it around to the door.
When anyone was sick, he went
out to get the prescription filled.
He took lots of pictures … but
he was never in them.”
My father would have been
95 years old if his life hadn’t
been cut short by a heart attack
when he was 54. It’s been more
than four decades now and I still
think about him several times
a week. In fact, his death still
brings tears to my eyes from
time to time – no matter what
they say, time doesn’t heal all
wounds. I’ve now outlived
him by nearly five years and,
with each new accomplishment
or passing joy of my own, I
wonder how his life might have
unfolded if he had enjoyed his
full portion of a human lifetime.
I often measure my own
accomplishments against his –
not out of some need to surpass
him, nor even match him, but
out of a desire to honour him.
He remains my measure of a
man and, while he would have
been the first to admonish me to
follow my own dreams and forge
my own life, I never feel more
accomplished than I do when I
find myself thinking, “Dad would
have been pleased by this.”
Although I was still a teenager
when he died, we had no issues
to resolve. We didn’t agree about
everything, but we didn’t quarrel
much, either. I wasn’t rebellious.
He wasn’t overbearing. We
simply loved and admired each
other. He was my mentor. And
while he said, only a few weeks
(or was it days?) before he died,
“I have no regrets – I’ve had a
wonderful life,” my major regret
has been that he wasn’t part of
my life for longer.
So I could hardly contain
myself when I walked out into
the hallway at the Icelandic
National League of North
America convention and there
was one of my father’s paintings
on display. Dad was what
you call a Renaissance man –
accomplished at many things
beyond his own work – a scholar,
a philosopher, a musician, a
woodworker, a gardener, and a
painter, among other gifts. He
was about 40 when he took up
painting and it quickly became
his greatest passion. He painted
for friends and family, and he
loved to exhibit his work at art
shows, where he sold most of
it, but mostly he painted for
himself. I am surrounded by his
artwork at home.
The painting “Brander
Pass” won the purchase prize
at Íslendingadagurinn one year.
It was one of two paintings of
his that the Icelandic Festival
acquired during the years that
he entered their summer art
show. It was one of his smaller
canvasses and it doesn’t show
the meticulous attention to
detail found in most of his
landscapes. Dad suspected
that it won the purchase prize
because the judge assumed it
was a painting of some place
in Iceland. It wasn’t. Brander
Pass is located in the Scottish
Highlands and the vivid colours
of the painting reflect how Dad
remembered Scotland from
during the war.
My heart swelled with pride
to see his painting on display
and, for a brief moment, it felt
like he was at the convention
with me. I suppose he was
in spirit. I cried, hoping no
one would see me, and once
I regained my composure, I
began pointing out the painting
to others.
My Dad could open jars
nobody else could. He wasn’t
afraid of the basement or the
attic. When he cut himself,
he tended to his own wounds.
When others needed help, he
delivered. And he took plenty
of photographs that he never
appeared in. But he was an artist
who painted pictures – vivid
landscapes and familiar places
– and a piece of him is in every
single one.
The ceremony opened with O
Canada (which was not yet the
national anthem) and a choir
performing Faðir andanna and
Rís Íslands fáni, after which
Grettir Leó Jóhannsson, then
Consul for Iceland and Denmark,
gave a short address. “This is
Jón Sigurðsson's birthday,” he
said, “but it is also the birthday
of the Republic of Iceland
which is being proclaimed at
Þingvellir today, and over whose
birth we all rejoice. … The re-
establishment of the Icelandic
Republic has already been
recognized by many democratic
nations, and many others will
soon follow; a welcome to
our reborn republic is being
extended from many corners of
the world. Iceland is now the
34th member in the family of the
United Nations, and although
she is one of the very smallest,
her contribution to the cause of
humanitarian endeavors will
be felt ...” Agnes Sigurðsson
placed a wreath at the base of
Jón Sigurðsson’s statue and,
following a two-minute silence,
the ceremony closed with the
choir singing Ó guð vors lands
and God Save the King.
As we mark the 75th
anniversary of the Republic
of Iceland with pride and
celebration, may we do so with
the same dignity and reverence
that was seen on that day in 1944.
Stefan’s Saga
Stefan Jonasson
Editor
Lögberg-
Heimskringla
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NEWS CONTRIBUTORS
Meeting Dad at Brander Pass
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August 2, 2019
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(additional tickets available)
REGISTER TODAY!
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In Support of Lögberg-Heimskringla
For sponsorship or registration contact us :
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August 2, 2019
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Gimli, MB
Cocktails & Dinner at the Johnson Hall
(additional tickets available)
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In Support of Lögberg-Heimskringla
CORRECTION
After the June 1st issue of
Lögberg-Heimskringla was
printed, we noticed that former
consul general Svavar Gestsson’s
first name was misspelled in
Alicyn Goodman’s article,
“Iceland’s Consulate General
in Winnipeg marks 20th
anniversary.” We would like to
apologize to Svavar for this error.
Fortunately, we did get
Svavar’s name right in the
caption below the photographs
of the print version and the
digital edition of the June 1st
issue is correct in both the article
and caption.
The Republic of Iceland
... continued from page 4
PHOTO: LOUISE HORST
At Brander Pass