My 3 New Year's Resolutions

When I was invited to participate in the 63rd Carnival of Genealogy and post my 2009 New Year's Resolutions, I agreed to do it because it's only the 2nd Carnival I've participated in and I thought it would be good to participate. I was anticipating Christmas at the time, but thought I'd have no difficulty changing gears to "planning" for the New Year when the Christmas Holiday was over.

Now that the time has come for me to consider my resolutions, I see that I could easily make a list long enough to accommodate the next 5 years, instead of just 2009. It seems I've fallen so far behind in my genealogy this past year that I have a lot of catching up to do. Thirteen months ago my husband underwent surgery for a hip replacement and in the months that followed I wore several different hats--not one of them being a genealogist! Then 5 months ago my father fell and broke his leg in 2 places, which has left him largely immobile since then. He's doing quite well now as he manages daily life on his own in his home, but as I've had the opportunity to spend time with him since then, I've put my active research up on a shelf. I've been greatly blessed, however, as I've spent time with my Dad, for we've had many conversations about his early life, discussing the times, the trials, the customs and the people from his Germans from Russia heritage. My research has been of the "oral" tradition and it's been delightful.

Which brings me to my first resolution for 2009:

1. As I was preparing Dad's house for his return home from the hospital, I cleaned out closets, drawers, entire rooms. To my delight, I found many scrapbooks, photo albums and framed pictures of people who've lived within the last 100 years. My first goal is to scan most of those photos and load them onto my Picasa Web Albums.

2. My second goal is not as exciting. In this past year I've accumulated quite a stack of papers that need to be taken care of. Emails that need a reply, addresses that need to be entered in my database, documents that need to be filed with the appropriate family. I hope to tackle that stack of papers.

3. And my 3rd resolution has to do with updating my family information on the New.FamilySearch.com database. I'm anxiously awaiting Bruce Buzbee's release of RootsMagic V. 4 so I can use it to transfer data from New Family Search to my RootsMagic database, and conversely transfer data from my database onto New.FamilySearch. I worked diligenty on my family information in that database last Spring, but had to put it on hold also as I've tended to more pressing matters.

I'm determined to make progress on these tasks, but relieved that I have a FULL YEAR in which to accomplish my goals!

Discovery of a New Photo of My Mother

There is no connection to my posting of this photo and today being Christmas Day, except that on this holiday I finally had NOTHING pressing to do and was able to spend free time browsing genealogy sites. My second cousin Kate Keller is a fellow genealogist. We've shared many family photos through our personal Ancestry.com sites. I'm grateful to her for posting over 600 photos that I've been able to review and many have been saved to my computer for personal use.

As I was browsing her photo collection today I discovered the photo at left of my mother, Ruby Nadine Flanders Margheim Craine. I think it may have been taken when she was about 15 years old. Fifteen-year-olds in 1940 sure don't look like 15 year olds nowadays.

The pictures below are of my mother's next older brother, William "Mervin" Flanders. The picture on the left was in my mother's scrapbook and was his high school Senior portrait. The photo at the right was taken of Uncle Mervin late in his life. I just discovered it while browsing cousin Kate's photos on Ancestry.com today too. It's amazing how similar his pose is to the high school portrait taken of him about 68 years earlier.

This is a photo of me with my Uncle Mervin when I was in Hutchinson, Kansas attending his 50th wedding anniversary celebration in April 1998. This was the last time I was able to see Uncle Mervin. He passed away July 21, 2007.

Merry Christmas

Celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May we all enjoy the company and the love of our family members this Christmas Season.

The Special Women in My Early Life

As I was browsing through photos in my computer tonight I came upon this wonderful picture that really touches my heart. It was taken about 5 years before I was born. And I think it was taken in the back yard at my Grandma Mollie Margheim's house, 114 E. 6th St, Hoisington, Kansas.

Pictured at far left is my Grandma Nannie Becker Flanders and behind her left shoulder is my mother, Ruby Nadine Flanders Margheim. Second from right is my Dad's mom, Mollie Koleber Margheim and at the far right end is my Dad's sister- my Aunt Laverna Margheim.

These women are special to me because they are the women who took care of me during the first few years of my life. I was born in 1947 and in 1949 my mother, Ruby, divorced my Dad and moved away. Finding himself a single parent with two little kids to raise and responsible for working full time at Thies Packing Co. in Great Bend, KS, Dad made the practical decision to move to Hoisington, KS to live with his parents, Mollie & John Margheim. My Grandma Margheim was a homemaker, so for the following two years she became our caretaker and substitute "Mommy". At that time my Aunt Laverna was newly graduated from Hoisington High School and at age 20 was living at home prior to her marriage to Al Irelan. She was like a big sister to me--a really big sister. I loved her and trusted her and spent most of my toddler days in her company. I still am able to remember climbing up on a stool in front of the bathroom sink as she washed my hair with Suave shampoo, and the bubble baths she gave me, I remember sitting very still with my fingers extended as she polished my nails, I remember her putting barrettes in my hair, and showing me how to play her grand piano. I remember "hanging out" with her when her best friend Joanie Miller came to visit.

As I grew up, it was my Aunt Laverna who, along with her husband and daughter, took me shooting--teaching me how to fire a pistol, they took me water skiing and camping at Boyd Lake in Colorado, swimming at Lake Barton near Hoisington, KS, and to the theater in Denver, CO. She taught me how to ride a horse--she was a member of the Hoisington Saddle Club. She gave me piano lessons from age 4 to age 6. She also tapped my knuckles with a ruler when I didn't lift my palms and fingers up at the keyboard! She helped me make decorations for my Dad and Step-Mom's Christmas tree. And Aunt Laverna sang to me and sang with me. How I loved my Aunt Laverna.

I loved my Grandma Flanders---I remember putting earrings in her pierced ears when she was not able to following a stroke. I loved her peach cobbler! I remember sitting on the dishpan at her dining table so I could reach my plate. I remember gathering eggs in her chicken coop and then watching her kill and clean the chickens that she prepared for our Sunday dinner. She was a quiet, gentle and kind woman.

I can't put down in words tonight the love and feelings I have for my Grandma Mollie Margheim and my mother Ruby Flanders Margheim. They're not only IN my heart, they ARE my heart. They have a lot of company there. And they are special for all the obvious reasons, but also because they always made me feel special. That's a wonderful gift!

People who make us feel special at a very young age seem to always remain dear in our hearts. These women will always be special to me!