January 2018: Vikingland Lodge Newsletter

January 2018: Vikingland Lodge Newsletter
January 10, 2018 Christopher Mohs

Congratulations to Arland & Lois Wisted celebrating their 98th and 99th birthdays in December.

Hei Alle Sammen! Fra Presidenten

Hei alle sammen!!  (Hi all)   I write this monthly newsletter before Christmas, watching the snow flakes flutter gently to the earth, the temperaturer (temperatures) easy their way down the thermometer and the vinds (winds) usher in their bone-chilling breath.  UFFDA!!   But, what a beautiful sight.  The ground is pure white, there are Christmas lights on trees and homes in the nabolags (neighborhoods) and on the street lights in our cities. Carols are being sung on the radio and there are Christmas programs on the television.  People hustle about doing their kjopesenter (shopping) while Churches are hosting musical events and children are having holiday programs.  Truly, Jul (Christmas) is a colorful and exciting time of the year.

All this leads up to our celebration of the birth of Jesus and the meaning of Nade (Grace). It is through belief and trust that we can look forward to an eternal life that will be without want or need, that will be without sickness or death, that will be without predjudice, hatred, fighting or sin.  Yes, the Christmas Season allows to breath in the gift of life as we have never imagined. And that is not an UFFDA,  it is a WOW!!

But, the Christmas Season is also a time of sult (hunger) and hurtful feelings for many persons.  There are families and children without permanent housing, there are families and children without food or nourishment, there are families and barn (children) with nowhere to go, nowhere to belong, who are lonely and afraid of what lies ahead.

Again, I believe that our Scandinavian Heritage screams at us to help others, to dele (share) the bounty that we possess, to bring smiles to faces and varme (warmth) to hearts… just as our ancestors did for us.  To this end, we should be mindful of what we have and what we can do for others in need.  These can be small or large “acts of kindness” that will lift the spirit of others and reparere (mend) hearts, hurts and  fears.  We have been blessed, so shall we bless.  TAKK!!

At our December Lodge meeting, we enjoyed a delicious Scandinavian Pot Luck and installed our new officers and board members for the next year.  We learned about quilting and were entertained by some Christmas Elfs and some of our own Yule Tide singing.  A jolly good time was had by all.  If you have ideas or suggestions to make our lodge better, please do not hesitate to let us know. Your Vikingland Lodge #495 Board is here to serve.

Joe Merseth, Presidenten

Growing to 2020 Update

We are excited to announce that Vikingland Lodge was one of 56 lodges across the country to meet and exceed the new member goal. In 2017 we welcomed 20 new members to the lodge.

As part of this honor, the lodge will be getting a new banner, exclusive access to new membership programs (including history and travel), a certificate of honor and new recruiter recognition pins featuring the new Sons of Norway logo.

We are always seeking to invite more individuals who are passionate about their nordic heritage to join our Lodge. All are welcome. Please feel free to speak with an officer for information as we continue to grow to 2020.

Mid-winter Scandinavian Festival Update

Please note that the date for the Mid-winter Scandinavian Festival will be moved due to Super Bowl Sunday conflicts. We apologize for any inconvenience. We look forward to announcing the new date in our February newsletter.

Norwegian Folk High School Scholarships

Two District 1 $300 scholarships will be awarded to attend a Norwegian Folk High School.  Applicants must have completed a U. S. High School and provide evidence of acceptance by a specific Norwegian Folk High School.

For additional information contact Roger Josephson.

Greetings from the Social Director

I sincerely hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!  Our lives get so busy, but I hope you had time to really enjoy the season.

You may have heard on TV about a man in North Dakota called Herman Stern who brought many of his relatives here during the Nazi invasion. We have access to the movie that was shown at the Fargo theater last month.  It is entitled “The Mission of Herman Stern, The rescue of many, an army of one”. Those who have seen this movie have said it is great. So mark your calendars for January 9. Thank you to Cleo Johnson for providing this.

To all our members who have traveled south this winter, I wish you well, have a great winter, see you in the spring.

Keep watching for more news of a winter/ spring festival our Sons of Norway will sponsor.  Carol Turner and I will keep you informed when plans are finalized.

Happy Winter, Dorothy Hoover

2018 District 1 Language Camp Scholarships

Scholarships for Concordia Language Villages at Bemidji or Masso Moro at Eau Claire, Wisconsin are available for youth whose parents, grandparents or guardians are members of a District 1 Sons of Norway Lodge.

Campers may attend any of the Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or Finnish camps at CLV in June or July or the Norwegian camp at Masso Moro, July 15-28.  Vikingland Lodge is entitled to 4 scholarship weeks from District 1, at either of the camps.  The local lodge provides an additional scholarship to those attending a camp.

Applications for scholarships must be made before May 10th.

Contact Roger Josephson for additional information.

Norwegian Scientist Advances Study of Grid Cells in Human Brains

May-Britt Moser

May-Britt Moser may not be a household name, however, she is a Noble Prize award- winning scientist from Oslo, Norway, who holds a psychology degree and PhD in Neurophysiology from the University of Oslo.

In 2014 Moser, along with the Edvard I. Moser and John O’Keefe, were awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of human grid cells, a population of neurons that enables us to understand where we are in space. For example, the nerve cell in our brain called the hippocampus activates when we occupy a certain spot in a room. Then, other nerves activate when we move to another place in the room, forming a map of the environment in our brains.

With the identification of this grid, Moser and her scientific colleagues have set the bar for this field of study. Moser now continues to discover new information about human grid cells and hopes to ultimately map out how complex thoughts, such as memory, arise.

To learn more about May-Britt Moser’s discoveries, visit https://goo.gl/z9ueLp.

“By discovering the grid cell network, we suddenly understood something fundamental about the mystery of the brain – how the brain generates a universal map of the environment.” May-Britt Moser