Reflections on 2025
At this time of year I tend to reflect on the year just gone and what is coming up next year. Some of you may have had a rotten 2025 and are looking forward to putting it behind you for a better 2026, others may have exciting things planned for 2026 already.
I read in a magazine article recently that highly driven people and perfectionists never give themselves a break. Instead of celebrating success they are always looking for what they could have done better or looking for the next big goal. I certainly recognise myself there, perhaps you do too. The suggestion was that instead of looking ahead and devising an impossibly long "must do" list for 2026, it is wise to take some time to reflect on what has been achieved and what exciting things have happened in 2025.
On a personal level, it was a magnificent year for my daughter. She did really well in her A Level exams and, in September began her university journey studying veterinary medicine. As she is the youngest in our family the house feels very strange now it is just myself and my husband "rattling around", so it has been a period of adjustment for us as well as her.
My husband's health has also much improved. After his kidney transplant in October 2023 he was this year reduced to only needing check ups every six months (*fingers crossed*, *touches wood*, don't want to tempt fate!).
Pharos Tutors® continues to grow and thrive. This year we celebrated additional recognition by AGRA (the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives) for our Advanced Certificate in Genealogy. Our graduates now no longer need to complete the 20 hour research assignment element of application for Member status which, from a time point of view, is a huge part of the application process. This is because AGRA considers our students have already reached the required standard.
In terms of success for me personally the biggest achievement must surely be completing my book, Genealogy Methods and Techniques, and it reaching the printing stage by the end of 2025 (it will be published in early 2026). It has been a lifelong ambition to author a published work and I consider myself very lucky. Not only did the first publisher I contacted "cold" say "yes" straightaway, but they were also happy to listen to my ideas for creating the book I wanted to present to the world. This certainly won't make me rich (I spent a significant proportion of my advanced on image licence fees to make sure the finished product was beautifully illustrated) but I consider it my opportunity to contribute more widely to the genealogy community. You can see some of the ideas and included topics in the mind map below.
I also delivered my new Advanced DNA Strategies with Autosomal DNA Pharos Tutors course for the very first time. This had been a long time coming (I think I first started talking about it at RootsTech London back in 2019), but with Covid, making the decision to buy Pharos Tutors, and my husband's health issues there were some very valid reasons for the delay. The first course was fully booked and there are new dates booking up in May and October 2026.
On a more personal level the upcoming 2026 is a big year for me. I share this because I am sure there are other sons and daughters that may have experienced the same feeling after the loss of a parent. In March 2026 I will be 55. Why is that so significant? My Mum died at 55. Don't worry, I haven't gone all hypochondriac on you all, I don't feel as if "my time is up" now, but it has certainly made me reflective. When she died she was obviously very young, although at the time she was "quite old" to me. I have to say though that now I feel like she was "really really young". I read a book recently where the main character was feeling very connected to her mother because she was about to reach the same age as her mother was when she died. I won't go into plot details (involving a breakdown and a prison sentence, neither of which are likely here!) but it said something that really struck a chord: she didn't know what she was supposed to next, after she had reached the age her mother did. That's kind of how I feel. Yes there are lots of people around me who have lived longer, my Dad being one of them, but there is something about reaching the "maximum age" your mother did.
So I am feeling a little like "I don't know what comes next" at the moment. I'm sure finishing my book adds to that, and probably my daughter starting university, and the early months of 2026 will be a time of quiet reflection and gratitude for me.
What I have learned from 2025 is that I really enjoy writing, so that is something I want to continue with (hint, hint, to any commissioning editors out there). I do have an exciting new writing project to work on in the first few months of 2026 (I can't say anymore just yet, but it will be a new way of writing for me so I am very excited).
One of the best parts of teaching for me, and I have seen lots of this in 2025, is helping students find new new things in their own genealogy research, not saying "you must do it this way" but having them try new things for themselves and make their own discoveries. I've had students break down brick walls but also had students realise that an error or two has crept into their research along the way. Seeing students go on to great things is something I always take great pleasure in too, always thinking "I once taught them about x and look at them fly now!"
Whatever the year you've had, I wish you all the very best and hope for good things for you all in 2026.
Happy New Year!
