Happy New Year Fireworks Vectors by Vecteezy   The old year fades away and the new year enters brightly, bringing hope for health and prosperity in the days to come.  Cultures throughout the world have their own method of celebration, many with fireworks and joyful music. Last year, just before New Year's 2021, I discovered a Youtube three part presentation of Hogmanay over Edinburgh that made a great impression on me.  When I looked for  Hogmanay for 2022, I learned much more about the tradition in general and the 2021 Youtube presentation in particular.   Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the last day of the year or New Year’s Eve. Although Hogmanay is generally regarded as the most important Scottish holiday, the origins of both the word and the traditions are obscure. Many people think that the term comes from French but there are also theories that it may have Gaelic, Norse, or Anglo-Saxon origins. The traditions, as with most modern holidays, likely grew f...

Cover page of Rick's Memorial program I recently lost my brother-in-law to covid which caused a heart attack. It is still painful in the week after the burial and the memorial service, however I've realized how much joy and sorrow can exist together, especially in someone who does genealogy as a means of family history. Of course the hugging and tears help too, and the phone calls, swapping stories, laughing and crying over the shared photos. There is a wonder to it all, as people on Rick's side of the family, no kin to me except by marriage and the shared love we have for my sister's children, grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, when the barriers come down in shared grief. It is suddenly ok to walk up to people whom you barely know, and hug and cry together, when this is really not the case at other times, at least in my family. And because I do genealogy, I know (or can figure out) who all these people are, how they are related to one another, and so, what th...