I am looking forward to the beginning of 2026 and the new set of classes we have. I am hoping that it can jumpstart my family history that seems to have stalled. Between flood warnings and holiday preparations, it seems sitting down to work on research wasn’t really on the To Do list.

Do you get like that as well? I am hoping that some new ideas will jump out at me from the new classes. The first class is about directories. It will be a recorded class with an opportunity to ask questions on Zoom and then go from there.

Our second class is by a woman who has developed a new strategy for getting through those brick walls. We all have them. A new strategy might be just what we all need to get to the other side of those darned walls.

In February, we have a class by the author of The Essential Skills of the Occasional Genealogist. That sounds like me. It was a great read, and I know that it fits my description. I am no professional genealogist and sometimes the gaps in my ability to focus on family history gets all too wide. I get her newsletter and it is all I can do to not just copy and paste her suggestions into this blog. It really hits home for where I am at.

I don’t know if you have heard of the Midwest Continental Library but if you haven’t, take a look at the handouts from our beginning classes and the charts and forms we use in the library. You will probably find the name as the source for much of our material. It will be great to take a tour of what they have to offer and how we can all use them more efficiently.

Those are just the first 4 classes. I always find after taking a class that I have some fresh ideas that I can use in my own work. It re-energizes me, giving me someplace different to hang my research hat so to speak. It not that, it gives me a new way to think about accessing the material and perhaps find a little something new to focus on.

I hope everyone has a very happy holiday. This is the time of year where we create many of our family traditions and stories. My recommendation, enjoy the time. Don’t get so busy preparing and creating that you forget or are too tired to be involved. It’s like the photographer who takes hundreds of photos and isn’t in any of them.

With all that said, it is time to go prep meals for Wednesday and Thursday. Ham dinner for one and Chicken and Dumplings for the other. Talk about family history!  If you are so inclined, talk about where those meals came from. I have no idea on mine.

Heidi Geise, education@hqrl.com

PS Latte Day!!!