.CREATE YOUR LEGACY

Talking about death won’t kill you, LOL!

By Hazel Thornton | October 18, 2021 |

(Originally published Jan. 2016. Updated Oct. 2021.) I recently (in Jan. 2016) spoke at a business networking luncheon attended by 80 women. My topic was “Who Will Check My Email When I Die?” I worried that no one would want to come hear me talking about death, especially when it started snowing that morning. But…

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“We Remember” our loved ones

By Hazel Thornton | October 3, 2021 |

This post is about how to use the free, interactive, social, memorial platform We Remember, by Ancestry. So, my dad died recently. It was somewhat unexpected — I mean, he wasn’t in the best of health at age 88, but he was in remission from lymphoma. And I can only hope to go as peacefully…

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If you can’t find something, clean up!

By Hazel Thornton | September 27, 2021 |

I thought this phrase — If you can’t find something, clean up — was a well-known adage. But random people I’ve queried have never heard it. So, I Googled it. Turns out it’s one of Gretchen Rubin’s many Secrets of Adulthood, which she introduced in her bestselling book The Happiness Project. I guess it made…

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Do you know where your photos are?

By Hazel Thornton | September 6, 2021 |

September is Save Your Photos Month! >>> Free Online Event — Register Here! <<<

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Letting Go of Perfectionism as a Writer

By Hazel Thornton | August 22, 2021 |

Writing a book is a prolonged exercise in perfectionism. One must strive for quality while resisting the urge to make it perfect. Why? Because perfection, which is highly subjective in this case, falls somewhere between unlikely and impossible to achieve. And perfectionism can lead to procrastination, writer’s block, stress, and the inability to finish one’s…

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Trouble in Ancestry Paradise

By Hazel Thornton | August 5, 2021 |

Uh-oh. Ancestry.com just updated their Terms and Conditions in a way that has people up in arms. >>> SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR UPDATES. <<< I’m not saying I like it, but I do tend to stay calm in situations like this and wait and see what happens next. Meanwhile, though, I want you to know…

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There’s No Place Like Home

By Hazel Thornton | April 19, 2021 |

(NOTE: It was in October 2012 when I “just returned” from this trip and wrote this post. A worldwide pandemic was the furthest thing from my mind! Most of us have stayed home for over a year, and we’re just now thinking about traveling again as we gradually get our COVID-19 vaccinations. Also new since…

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My new favorite thing: Collectionaire

By Hazel Thornton | March 15, 2021 |

When I first heard Stan Kinsey talking about Collectionaire, on Maureen Taylor The Photo Detective’s podcast, I thought: “OMG. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!!!”   What is it? Collectionaire is an amazing way to pull digital memorabilia stored in various cloud locations into one place, making it easier for family members to…

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RootsTech is for Everyone: Getting Started

By Hazel Thornton | March 1, 2021 |

Wow! This event was a game-changer. Even if you’re not the family historian, please keep reading. Because, in case you feel you’ve missed out, you haven’t!

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Parallels between the 2020 and 1918 pandemics

By Hazel Thornton | October 18, 2020 |

In April I wrote a blog post called Our Ancestors and the 1918 Spanish Flu, not realizing there would be more. But…of course, there’s more! This is a marathon, not a sprint, and COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon. Note: The 1918-1919 flu pandemic was often referred to as the “Spanish Flu” because of…

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Hazel's Books

Cover of " What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy"

What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy

Cover of "Go With the Flow! (The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook)"

Go With the Flow! (The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook)

Cover of "Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror"

Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror

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