Family History Alphabet: Y is for yearning and yawning

My theme for the Family History through the Alphabet is the Attributes we need as family historians: the skills, experience and talents we need to bring to our research. We are in sight of the end now with the letter Y which appropriately gives us:

Y is for YAWN: We’ve been at this series for 25 weeks now so it’s not surprising we’re a little tired, despite the pleasures it’s brought us. Not that yawning is new to family historians. We certainly love our research and explorations but sometimes that same enthusiasm carries us away into the wee hours of the night well beyond Cinderella’s coach-into-pumpkin time.

Y is for YEARN: as we long for the small or large discoveries that will break down a brick wall, or take our research further. Some yearnings will never diminish though, as we’re bound to fail in our quest to know how our families felt about lives in general and their own specific experiences. Only those lucky researchers whose ancestors wrote down their thoughts in diaries or letters will have any means of moderating this yearning.

Y is for YO-YO when our emotions go up and down like a rollercoaster as we make new discoveries or come up yet again with a blank. I’ve felt like this in the past week with the exciting adventure into German newsletters only to zoom down the emotional ladder as the search constraints through up obstacles, or my German, not to mention my lateral thinking, is found severely wanting.

Y is for YELL or YELP: the alternatives to the genealogy happy dance, or perhaps the precursor, as we exclaim over a genealogical discovery in document or our on computer screens, frightening our pets and families.

Some days are just plain tiring.

And here’s another one, inspired by Mr Cassmob having to listen to my ramblings (ravings?)

Y is for Y AM I DOING THIS? After another day peering at German newspapers or as I ponder (bemoan?) that I have yet another 9 posts before I finish the Beyond the Internet series. There are days when I wish I was less persistent.

Can you think of any more Y attributes we share as family historians?

Images from Microsoft Office images online.