52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 52

St. Louis Arch

This is the last week of the 2018 52 Ancestors Challenge and the writing prompt is, appropriately, Resolution. I am choosing not to write about an ancestor this week, instead focusing on a reflection of this year’s challenge. It has been wonderful to write about a different ancestor each week. The purpose of the yearly challenge is to get us to write down our ancestor’s stories, and this is a good way to do get it done.

Having said that, I don’t think I will be participating in the 2019 challenge. Personally, I found that many of the writing prompts did not inspire me, and some of that was probably due to the fact that I would take them too literally. The other issue I had was trying to avoid redundancy. Because I have written about many of the ancestors before in the February writing challenges I have participated in, it was a struggle to come up with new ancestors who fit the bill for the topic of the week’s writing prompt.

My resolution for the new year is to find a different challenge for myself, whether that is one I create myself or something I find on the internet. I definitely want to keep researching and writing, but I need to find something that doesn’t end up feeling like such a chore each week. I do genealogy because I find it interesting and fun. I certainly don’t want a writing challenge to take that away.

Here’s to breaking through some genealogy walls - and writing about it - in 2019!

Family Search 52 Stories Week 47

As we creep up on the end of 2017, it seems appropriate to write about New Year's Eve celebrations of the past.

How did your family celebrate New Year's Eve? How has it changed over time?

When I was growing up we did not make a big deal out of the last day of the year. My mom and dad sometimes played cards with the next door neighbors, and as they had a daughter my age, the two of us would play records, eat junk food and usually end up spending the night at one house or the other.

Time's Square

After I was married, we kept things pretty low-key as well. If we went out for dinner, we tended to eat early so we could get home before the drunks made roads unsafe. We would usually watch television, waiting for the big ball to drop in Time's Square. As our children got older, they would try and stay awake until midnight, and we would listen to the neighbors clanging metal pots and shooting off fireworks. As we have gotten older, we now try to stay awake until midnight!

I used to make New Year's resolutions, but I don't do that anymore. It always seemed to lead to disappointment and feeling bad about myself. Now I set goals throughout the year, and modify them as time and situations change. It keeps things more realistic that way.

The one thing that remains constant at the end of each year is my reflection on what has taken place over the past 12 months. It is a wonderful opportunity to think back on the many adventures that have taken place, and a chance to reflect on the blessings that have come my way.

Wishing all of you a happy and prosperous 2018!

It's a New Year

For 2016 I am participating in "365 Days of Free Writing, Creativity & Storytelling Inspiration" with Tanya Taylor Rubinstein. Sometimes we all need a little help with ideas for our writing. It seemed like it would be helpful to me to use the writing prompts for my blog posts, so here we go with day 1. Today's assignment is to talk about what I most essentially want to express, at this moment in my life. Further, I am to write for ten minutes without stopping, judging or editing. So here goes...

St. Louis Flood 2015

New Year’s Day is a day of new beginnings, starting over and taking a fresh look at your life. Because St. Louis has been faced with so much devastation in light of the recent floods, my new year begins with a deep sigh of gratitude that we were not personally impacted by the flood waters. Sure, there are minor inconveniences as three of the major interstates and numerous ancillary highways were forced to close, so traffic routes were diverted. But we didn't have to evacuate our home and wonder what would be left when it was finally safe to return. Many people in our area are not beginning the new year by making resolutions such as how much weight they want to lose or how many times they will commit to go to the gym. Instead they are looking for a new place to live, or trying to replace their basic necessities. Many don’t know if they will have a job to come back to as their place of employment is still under water.

I drove around the area today to see first hand some of the areas that were most impacted by the flood. Somehow when you watch it on television, it is almost like it isn't real. But to be close enough to put your hand in the quick-flowing water quickly makes it a reality.

So I will begin 2016 thanking God for all the goodness he has provided to me and my family, and praying for all those who have not been so fortunate.