Digging Up Dirt and Other Joys of Being a Genealogist

by Debra DuPree Williams  @DDuPreeWilliams

My family considers my sister Bobbie and me to be the family genealogists. Neither of us is a professional, but we have learned a thing or two in our ventures into the world of family trees, graveyards, and lineage societies.

Genealogy Adventures
I should actually call these adventures as we have had quite the time in our search for the truth. One of our cousins shared her research saying, “Be sure to wear long pants, jeans preferred, and long socks. Tuck the bottoms of your jeans into your socks. Wear a long-sleeved shirt, a hat, and get some good bug repellent and spray generously.” My sister and I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into, but we were outfitted thusly the morning we met her on the side of the road in a teeny-tiny little town, far off the beaten paths, in south Alabama.

Have You Considered Attending a Writers Conference?

By Debra DuPree Williams @ddupreewilliams

I never thought I’d attend a writers conference—especially at my age. These are some of the doubts that plagued me:

• What could I possibly have to say that anyone would want to read?
• Am I even a writer? 
• What if I go and embarrass myself?
• What am I supposed to wear?
• What should I bring?
• What am I even doing here?

If you’re feeling doubts about your own calling, you’re not alone. When I first attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2014, I knew nothing and no one. I sat in the back row. Even worship was different for me as I come from a tradition of hymns and a rather high-church service. I felt like a fish out of water, or a Presbyterian in a pool of Baptists. Now I  raise my hands with everyone else, and it feels like I should have been doing this all of my life.

Following a Dream Using My Second Voice

by Debra DuPree
 Williams 
@Ddupreewilliams

I grew up surrounded by music. I began singing in our church with my big sister Bobbie when I was three and she was ten. She taught me the words and melody and she sang harmony. We soon began singing in other churches, nursing homes, and civic organizations. We went just about anywhere we were invited to sing.

Once my sister went away to college, our duo became my solo act. I continued our tradition of singing in church but I also joined my high school choral department where I sang in many groups from the Acapella choir to a Gospel trio.