I began my blogging journey almost two years ago. I had been reading a few blog posts about genealogy and those that were part of the Carnival of Genealogy always stood out. The topics were interesting and fun and they seemed like such a great way to bring the genealogy to life. As I pondered the idea of starting my own blog, I came back to the COG time and again, thinking “if I start a blog, I could do this.”
So I started the blog on December 27, 2008, just a few days before the deadline for the 39th edition, New Year’s Resolutions. And yet, I didn’t post. Days and weeks went by, COG calls for submissions were issued, and still I didn’t post. Why not?
Partly, it was a timing issue. It seemed like every time I checked the call for submissions, the deadline had just passed. Or maybe the deadline was only a day or so away and I didn’t feel like I had enough time to devote to writing a quality post. Sometimes, the topic didn’t appeal to me (Alzheimer’s Disease, for example – way to close to home), and that’s okay. Not every topic is going to strike a chord with every writer.
I finally got it together this year and wrote my first post intended for the COG. Unfortunately, I had the deadline date wrong and submitted it a day late, so it didn’t get included. I made the deadline for the next edition, the 76th, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, with “Those Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer.” And there it stopped. Until today.
Looking back, there are a number of topics that I wish I had written about (some are the ones that inspired me at the beginning). #20 – A Tribute to Women. #31 – Proving or debunking family myths. #32 – Family war stories. #37 – Genealogy wish lists. #39 – New Year’s Resolutions. #56 – Essential Books in Your Genealogical Library. #68 – Women’s History Month: One Woman. #71 – Local History.
There is no reason I can’t write about these topics now, and maybe I will. Jasia has said in her post for this edition that changes to the COG are coming; it will be interesting to see what 2010 holds. There are two more editions in 2009, so that’s two more opportunities to participate this year. Perhaps the COG and I will no longer speak in passing. I could do this.
Written for the 84th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: What the COG means to me!
