I have never been a huge fan of resolutions and end of the year lists, greatest hits, the top 10, 30 or 100 of whatever and all the hoopla that goes with the changing of the year. I am, however, nostalgic, sentimental and am very cognizant of the passing of time.
When my grandmother became involved with researching her family tree, and then passed the bug to my mother, I dutifully spend time scrolling through documents with them at the public libraries. Many years later I copied their hard work on to ancestry.com where more than a few people have used it to complete their family trees.
History has also been intriguing for me, not dull. I would imagine how life was during a time period, what the women did, how location, connections and sometimes just luck could make all the difference in someone's (and the future generations) life. I always wanted to know more about the person than just their name, location of birth, birthdate, and date of death. I want to know what they believed, did they like their work/life, what was their story?
Maybe that is why I like stories. Reading is vital to me and so is writing. I was writing stories in the first grade on the back of coloring sheets because I was bored. I would sit in round-robin reading groups moaning in my head as the other children stumbled over words. I would often read several stories ahead and then get into trouble because I didn't know where I was supposed to read when called upon. I cannot recall a time when I didn't know how to read or wasn't reading a book. I often read books that were way over my head in several areas but I had run out of things to read and I would raid my mother and grandmother's stacks of novels. My mother eventually caught on to this and wisely began to put classics into her bookcase and I would read them thinking I wasn't supposed to.
So with all that being said, I vow this year to continue reading, hopefully learning and teaching and sharing with those who are interested.
