Transitions

Readers of LongLostRelatives.net may have noticed my conspicuous absence from the blogging world the last few months, even though I've continued to remain active on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

But I'm getting back in the swing again after some life interruptions and just being very busy!

I've written before about being my father's caregiver for the last few years. Dad had a stroke in October and I took several weeks off work to aid in his recovery. Fortunately, he had no paralysis, but he has aphasia, the inability to always be able to say the words he wants to say. His speech is gradually coming back and we actually were able to have a fairly lengthy conversation last evening and most of the desired words were there.

His loss of communication skills hit the genealogist in me very hard. I've been with him for eight years and clearly, I took our daily interaction and his stories about his life for granted. I've made a few recordings of his reminiscences, but I guess I always thought I would have more time to do that. As he lay in the hospital, unable to find the most basic words to convey his needs, I began to grieve the loss of the stories I might never hear again.

My advice to all my fellow family historians: record and document those stories NOW - before it's too late. We are all living on borrowed time, so capture the memories while you can.

I'm happy to report that Dad has eased back into his daily routine and we are returning to the life that is "normal" for us.

During the time I was off work, I had plenty of time to contemplate my own life, what I want to do with the rest of it and easily made the decision to give up my day job after 40 years of public service with the state of Nebraska. Since I've made it official, I can now share that information. My last day of work will be January 31, 2013. To say that I'm giddy about being able to devote more time to family history, genealogy speaking and writing is an understatement. I'm really going to be able to live my dream and do what is best for Dad and me. I think he is even more excited than I am!

The "busy" part is due to having been elected to the board of directors of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society in August. This is a very exciting time for our society as we branch out with our weekly education activities and special interest groups, in addition to our monthly programs. We have some very exciting programs and events in the works for 2013. We will be finalizing those plans at a committee meeting this Sunday. It has also been fun to gear up our online presence with our Facebook page, Twitter feed and blog. Al Harlow, our webmaster, does a great job with the LLCGS web site - and all of our online activities feed into one another. We sponsored a fall conference featuring Hank Jones, Jr. in October. He's one of the best!

In October, I was guest speaker at the Wymore Public Library in Wymore, Nebraska. My talk was sponsored by the Friends of the Wymore Library. I had a great time - many thanks to Jan and Janet for making that possible.

Thanks to the readers of LongLostRelatives.net for your continued and ongoing support. I'm looking forward to a fun and exciting 2013! And more frequent blogging!

Upcoming Genealogy Events in Nebraska

Upcoming genealogy events in Nebraska. If you have an event to add, please email me at sooznebr@gmail.com

Date & Location	Description
December 2, 2012 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 South 14th St Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Planning Programs for 2013 Join the Program and Education Committees to make plans and scheduling events for 2013. Facilitated by Phyllis Ericson, program chair.
December 5, 2012 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Nebraska Methodist College 720 N. 87th, 3rd floor Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Dennis Kingery will present “Searching for Grundsheim: Finding Family in Germany.” He will discuss his research trip to Germany, preparation, how he organized the trip.
December 6, 2012 1:00 p.m. St. Paul United Methodist Church 12th and M Streets Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Discussion Group led by Bob Houser Theme: discovering holiday traditions of our ancestors.
December 7, 2012 7:00 p.m. LDS Family History Center 11027 Martha St Omaha, NE	GO-PAF meeting
December 9, 2012 Ethnic Holiday Traditions 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Walt Branch Library 6701 Normal Blvd Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Ethnic Fair with foods, traditions, music, languages and shared advice about researching our specific regions. Get out your favorite recipes, music, crafts, maps and other memorabilia representative of our varied cultures.
December 11, 2012 7:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall Eastridge Presbyterian Church 1135 Eastridge Dr Lincoln, NE	LLCGS – – Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society - Monthly meeting and Program Celebrating our Ethnic Heritage and Traditions
December 12, 2012 6:30 p.m. Valentino’s 102nd and Maple Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Christmas Party
December 19, 2012 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Great Room Chatelaine 6201 Normal Blvd Lincoln, NE	LLCGS Discussion Group led by Lila Garner
2013
January 19, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Tell Me About My Family – Getting Started with Family History.
February 16, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Vital Records of Their Lives – Birth, Marriage and Death Records; Part II: Substitutes for Vital Records
March 16, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Making Sense of the Census – Using U.S. and International Censuses
April 20, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Searching the World’s Records – using Family History centers; Part II: The Name Game – Learn Tips to Help with Your Family History Search
May 18, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Where’s the Dirt? Overview of Land Records Part II: What’s Black and White and Read All Over: Newspaper research
June 15, 2013 9:15 a.m. – Noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State St Omaha, NE	GOGS – Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Part I: Genealogy Problem Solving Part II: Internet Genealogy
	List compiled and maintained by Susan Petersen, LongLostRelatives.net. To add or update your listing, please email me sooznebr@gmail.com