One Year and 199 Posts Later

One year and 199 posts ago, I wrote my first blog post. It was scary. And it was exciting. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I plunged ahead wholeheartedly. As I wrote on the blog’s two-month anniversary, “It probably will come as no surprise to anyone that I was not exactly blog literate when I undertook this task. I had an idea, a chance to pitch it, and finally the thumbs up to try it.”

 As I did then, I will again thank all of you who have stopped by to read a post or two. Your support has meant a great deal to me. I have discovered a few things in the year that I have been blogging. 

 1. I discovered that I probably should have paid more attention in English class. 

 2. I discovered that a girl, who could never keep a diary for more than two weeks, could indeed blog for a whole year. 

 3. I discovered that spell check is a girl’s best friend. 

 4. I discovered that spell check isn’t idiot proof (me being the aforesaid idiot.) 

 5. I discovered that geneabloggers, though diverse and unique, are of one voice in their mission to support and encourage other geneabloggers. I can’t think of another group where ego is so checked at the door. These people genuinely celebrate each other’s success. 

 6. I discovered that writing apparently has some healthful benefits. Since November, I have been off my high blood pressure medication. While the doctor is sure I have taken his advice to meditate (yeah right), I think whining aloud is the ticket to better health. 

 7. I discovered that I’m not as smart as I think I am. I could have saved myself that very public discovery by just listening to my family. They have been giving me that same message for years. 

 8. I discovered that I have my own voice, however warped it may be. 

 9. I discovered that some of my writing is not written for you, dear reader. Nor is it written for me. Rather it is written for those who are yet to be. I often think of a time 25 years or maybe 50 years from now, when a relative or a descendent discovers my words, and feels the same excitement that I feel when I read the words of my ancestors. (Note to self: Eighty-six the post with the picture of my foot. Don’t want the great grandchildren to worry about mental instability running through their gene pool.) 

 10. In writing posts about my own family’s history, I discovered that each of our lives is just a brief flicker on a long, flowing timeline. This is it folks, This is your one shot to get it right, to find the joy, and to give yourself permission when you fail, to get up the next morning and take your shot at getting it right all over again. 

 11. And finally, I discovered me. And while that only has relevance to those nearest and dearest, for me it has been an interesting journey. 

 I have no idea where I go from here. I know that for now, you can find me slicing and dicing pieces of my life and my family’s history like some mad chef - serving it up for your reading pleasure here at the Desktop Genealogist Unplugged Blog. 

 Until Next Time – Happy Ancestral Digging!

© 4 September 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder