Watch Saga Connections 5: Our Stories, On-demand

This on-demand video is a recording from a live online event that happened Wednesday, May 5, 2021 Saga Connections emerged about one third of the way into our forced isolation during the Pandemic. Set afloat in our islands of house and home, we had more time for reflection and a reconfiguring of priorities. Have you noticed how there were more families out walking together? And how moments of gathering within our families or social ‘bubbles’ became more precious? This was the gift of the pandemic: leading us to treasure little moments of being together with friends and family, placing a higher value on family and community.

One way to connect more deeply is to uncover the stories of our own families and our shared community. From the Saga Connection series, I already have a greater appreciation for the courage and resilience of the Icelanders who came west to settle Canada and North America. We heard about how they met heart-breaking hardships of a harsh, cold climate first settling in Kinmount. The dual sentiment of loss and determination of providing a better future in Gudrun Girgis’ Kinmount monument. Furthermore, William Valgardson opened our eyes to the breadth of creativity our ancestors brought to building new communities fostering connections between our past and our future.

This edition of ICCT Saga Connections was devoted to a Zoom conversation about our family ancestors and our stories. Several of our members joined with their own stories. They gathered (online) and recreated the feeling of gathering around home & hearth, sharing our family sagas and connecting with what is strongest and true in our past; kindling hope in these darker times with stories of hope and courage from the past.