Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009 - What A Year! 2010 - Bring It ON!



Looking back at 2009, I am amazed by the opportunities that came my way. If you had told me a year ago that I would pan for gold in the place my great-great-grandfather did, find a cousin named Gayle Christison (my maiden name), speak to 200 people at the Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium about my great-great-grandfather and Cash Creek (Cache Creek), and keep finding new developments in the cattle rustling story, I probably would have said, "Yeah, right."

These opportunities would not come without people. I am so grateful to each of you who read my blog and to you whose paths have crossed with mine on Twitter and Facebook. I appreciate librarians, archivists, and regular people who listen to my story and answer my questions, pointing me in the direction I need to go.

New Year's resolutions have never held much interest to me. Oh, I can set them and fail within two weeks, so I tend not to even come up with resolutions. But as I think about the opportunities that have surfaced in the past few years, I realize I do have some attributes I try to live out in genealogy and life. These are beneficial when opportunities arise and I hope to become better at each in the years to come.


In 2010, I resolve to:

Be curious and see where the next computer click, phone call, e-mail, turn in the road will take me.

Be courageous and follow up on what I find. Make the phone call, set the date, make the drive, meet new people.

Be faithful and stay on track. Write the book, do the research, enter the data.

Be true to myself. Write the way I write, research the way I research, and don't compare myself to others.

Be open to new opportunities, new people, new ideas.

Be courteous to others and respect their stories. Remember that the pioneers I research and write about have family today who may not know the whole story and who have their own family stories.

Some attributes are easier for me than others: curious is easy, courageous - not so much. But all of them are essential in what I love to do - research and writing. I would love to make a resolution that the book will be written in 2010, but I won't. The book will be done when the time is right.

Here is to the New Year - 2010 - Bring it ON!

(This post was written for the 87th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.)

10 comments:

Dianne E. Butts said...

Great thoughts, Gayle. You've inspired me to take on courage, too, and follow leads as I write (and try to finish!) my own book.

Praying God's best for you in 2010.

Gayle Gresham said...

Thanks for your comment, Dianne! 2010 - the year of courage! We've come a long way. We must have some courage.

J.M. said...

Be courageous and follow up on what I find. Make the phone call, set the date, make the drive, meet new people.

Oh, I so should've added that to my list! I suck at being courageous, but I'll have to be, some of the people are getting old, and won't be around forever.

Good luck on your resolves for 2010.

GrannyPam said...

Wow, courage. Hmmm courage. Wonderful addition to anyone's goals. Have a courageously successful year!

Ken Christison said...

Now that it is on the written page, we can hold you to it:-)

Best of luck in 2010! Keep on digging!

Sherry - Family Tree Writer said...

I love your comments! I somehow missed the Carnival call to action. (maybe I was trying to beat my son at Wii games?) Futile but fun!

But I need to add some of your goals to mine. Finish the book! Be courageous, and hunt down elders to interview! You're my Next-state-door neighbor, and I have family & friends in Grand Junction, Crested Butte, Gunnison, Colorado Springs, Denver area, Boulder, and Ft. Collins!

Have a fantastic New Year!

Sherry - Family Tree Writer said...

What a great blog post! I may borrow some of your goals and add them to mine!

Have a fantastic New Year! (and if this is the second comment from me, my apologies, I'm still getting the hang of this blogging and commenting thing!

Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith said...

I really like these kinds of resolutions, Gayle. Courageous, as you have said, and others picked up!
Good for you, and for each of us who were reminded what we really wanted to say, and didn't do it as well as you did! Thanks!

Bill ;-)

http://drbilltellsancestorstories.blogspot.com/
Author of "13 Ways to Tell Your Ancestor Stories"

Gayle Gresham said...

Thanks for all of your comments! I knew courage rang true with me when I wrote it and is what I've contemplated most.

Alice Trego said...

Wonderful post, Gayle! I can see focus here and I'm so happy for you! I need to follow in your footsteps...um, but I need a blog first :)

Alice