Have you ever started a project that became so big it seemed to have a life of its own? Genealogy research can certainly be like that. The more you work on it the more you uncover and the more you uncover the more you want to know so you keep looking. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to know why the man that supposedly died in a jailhouse fire had a child 18 months later? Hmmm, I do. Unfortunately, some of us, especially seniors, prefer the hard copies to digital documents on a computer which means piles of papers. Before you know it you have a mountain of dead trees, aka papers, that distracts from solving the family mystery. Mount Dead Trees is too overwhelming to process so it’s easier to just ignore the problem, give up on the project, and shut the door. Joan faced that very dilemma.
“The clutter and the number of papers I needed to go through was so overwhelming. I didn’t know where to begin. It was a relief not to have to go through everything by myself.”
Joan Newport
Now, no judging, please. We all have challenges and life sometimes throws curve balls that make staying on top of a project difficult. A little room, a few of life’s distractions, and a whole lot of papers create a bonfire just waiting to happen. The task is simple, organize the genealogy. Identify categories and begin sorting one pile at a time. A few extra pairs of hands lighten the load. There is still work to be done but there is order and the job is no longer overwhelming. Joan has space to work and a place to store everything. She can get back to what makes her happy and hopefully solve the mystery of the toasty jailbird.
