Where I've Been . . .

 

Incredibly, it's been a long six weeks since I last entered any research notes on that continual quest to mine the stories in our families' history. There have been some good reasons for that—health-wise, mostly—and some not-as-sterling reasons for lingering as long as I have. But for now, let's see what we can piece together. The goal is not so much to look back, but to move forward.

All told, posting one puny day's entry usually requires about three hours' effort, start to finish, but it's always been a worthwhile process. For one thing, blogging one's research journey provides a record of what has already been accomplished, and what still needs attention. Having a blogging plan helps organize the research path, too. But if nothing else, I always figured that, after a long day's work when most people collapse on the sofa to unwind to the sights and sounds of network television, my choice of wandering along the branches of my family tree was just as viable a way to relax.

While I didn't post any of my wanderings this past six weeks, that doesn't mean I wasn't looking. There's always time to poke around those half-finished branches. And I did find some tempting stories—like discovering a fourth cousin from a southern family connection ended up living on the other side of town from me, an entire continent's distance from where we both started life. There were some stories that broke my heart, and others which made me proud of my family's roots. Those are all stories which need to be told.

Since my goal in June was to untangle all the branches of my mother-in-law's Gordon roots—after all, 168 DNA matches can make for a gnarly Gordon tree—I have been busy behind the scenes with that attempt. To talk about it, though, might equate to the excitement of watching grass grow, so perhaps that can save for another year's posts.

Looking forward, July represents a shift in my Twelve Most Wanted quest for 2022: a move to examine the roots of the first of three ancestors from my father-in-law's Irish heritage. That is a task to be introduced tomorrow.

For now, my gratitude to those of you who reached out with comments and emails. Your prayers and well-wishes have been encouraging. If there is anything I have felt was missing from the medium of blogging, it is the wish that this could be turned into a true conversation. It's always nice to have a listener talk back, to join in the conversation—almost as if we are sharing a cup of coffee before going our separate ways to start our day.