REFLECTIONS
This was my twelfth year doing the A to Z Challenge. When I did my first challenge in 2013, there were over 1,800 participants. This year there were 179. I didn’t notice a big change in the number of comments. In fact, I may have gotten a few more this year. I was especially happy to get comments from several of my family members!
This year for the A to Z Challenge I posted an event for each date involving someone in my family tree. I had all of my posts pre-written. I did a bit of editing on the last few right before they published because I had left them since I had so much time and then forgotten. After reading On This Day in April by CRGalvin, I decided that every day during April I would also pick a happening from my family history that happened on that date.
I enjoyed finding the daily items and was able to make some new connections in my ancestors lives. When I do the A to Z Challenge, I have to look at my information in a different way. I look at facts that I may not have paid much attention to and find connections previously ignored.
You will find a list of my posts from this year here -> A to Z Challenge 2025 – April Family Happenings. I noticed some people are breaking down how many posts they did for men and how many for women this month. I did 13 for women (including two for me) and ten for men. With the remaining three about the founding of Witherspoon United Presbyterian Church including both.
I visited and commented on a variety of blogs. I did not attempt to visit all of them. These are the blogs I visited and commented on most days.
Anne’s Family History: family members matching the alphabet – Anne Young
Atherton’s Magic Vapour: a murder mystery – Melanie Atherton
A Multitude of Musings: personal growth and self-improvement – Astrid
Black and White: Bittersweetness & Light – Anne E.G. Nydam
Bold + Queer Kin: Melissa
CRACKERBERRIES: Empathy – Barbie
The Curry Apple Orchard: The Swinging Sixties – Linda Curry
Earlier Years: On This Day in April – CR Galvin
Family history across the seas: Airports, Airstrips, Aircraft, and Airlines – Cassmob (Pauleeen Cass)
How would you know…:Nonlinear memoir – Andrew Wilson
JillBallAu: jottings, journeys, joy – Jill Ball
Joy’s Book Blog: Activism – Joy Weese Moll
Living the Dream: personal musings – Susanne Matthews
Madly-in-Verse: all about Sarees – Nilanjana Bose
Musings of a Middle-Aged Mom: based on travel through Egypt, Turkey, and Greece – Lisa
Tell Me Another | personal stories, creative non-fiction: Books she loves – Josna Rege
Tracking Down The Family: The Earl Grey Orphan Scheme – Jennifer Jones
Very Important Stuff Here: Characters – tiredhamster
Thanks to the team that organizes the A to Z Challenge, to my husband who proof reads my posts and catches problems and to all those who read my posts and comment.
Congratulations on completing another year! I always enjoy the stories you share.
I can’t believe I didn’t have you in the blogs I followed closely. I’m always ambivalent about that list because I usually forget a few. I’ve added you because I enjoyed your theme this year and also the little morals at the end, especially the one on why one should push your book. 🙂
I have lived every thing uou have written! Cheers to family stories!
Yay Jan! So good to see you here today!
I loved this idea. I have a genealogy document from my family going back to the Revolutionary War. There’s an idea. I couldn’t speak to any of them like this, but this was a great journey. Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I visited you once and don’t know why I didn’t go back. I must have forgotten to bookmark. I just went back and read a few more posts. See you next year.
I enjoyed learning about your family. I got such a kick out of the anniversary dates. What a wonderful way to celebrate the month of April!
Thanks Joy. I really enjoyed doing it.
Wow, it’s impressive that you’ve done the A to Z challenge for 12 years. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you via our blogs over the years.
I have enjoyed reading all the old recipes you post. I don’t always comment because I’m sometimes on my phone. It’s pretty impressive that you post 365 days a year!
I was afraid that nobody would be interested in mine and my family’s stories, but your constant commenting and your own A to Z prove that it’s all about the telling, thanks so much Kristin…
And thank you for sharing your story. I did a different A to Z challenge years ago using the streets I lived on as the basis. There’s something freeing about telling your life in a nonlinear fashion.
It sounds like you did a lot of work. I think writing the posts before the challenge is less stressful though I haven’t tired it yet. Your theme requires research so you need more time to prepare and write unlike me who just wing it. Congrats on finishing the challenge.
Have a lovely day.
It is less stressful for me to write ahead. This theme actually took less research than I usually do. Maybe because I’d already written about some of them before and I just had to focus in on the event of that date.
Your twist of using dates to focus your posts was very clever. And congratulations on your twelfth challenge – very impressive!
Thank you. I just visited your blog, which I somehow missed during the challenge. I’ll be back!
Congrats on finishing the challenge!
Ronel visiting for <a href="Ronel visiting for A-Z Challenge Reflections for A to Z Blogging Challenge 2025
Thanks!
I really enjoyed all of your posts during the challenge! Congrats on the completion!! Thanks for the shout out.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! I enjoyed doing them. Sort of a treasure hunt for happenings in April.