Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and the End

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

As we countdown to the end of the year and head into a new year, let us all pause to remember that He who came that we might be saved is the Alpha and the Omega, the source and the ending of all that we are, that we have, all that we hope for. 

May the blessings of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost be with you in all that you do in the coming days and in the new year. Amen.

 TWEETABLE 
Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and the End@DDuPreeWilliams (Click to  Tweet)

A Great Light

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I pray that each of you has a blessed and peaceful Christmas. I'll return with new blog posts after the first of the year. In the meantime, I hope the scriptures, this week and next, will touch your hearts.
Merry Christmas.
Debbie

Remembering Mama--

By Debra DuPree Williams  @DDuPreeWilliams

I’ve written a couple of blog posts that featured my daddy. But, obviously, I also had a mother. Now you may say that your mother is or was one-of-a-kind, but my mother, Dot, wasn’t. She had an identical twin, my Aunt Doris. But even though she had someone on earth who looked exactly like her, Mama was definitely her own person.

Mama was one of those people who just naturally excelled at anything she did. Except cooking. She hated to cook. But she loved to entertain and make party foods.

I don’t remember her ever putting a roast in the oven for a week night or Sunday dinner. But could she ever make party food. We had more parties at our home in one year than most of my friends’ moms had in ten years. Mama just loved entertaining, getting out her good dishes, and putting on the dog, as we say in the south.

Five Ways to Share Christmas Year-Round

 By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Thanksgiving has just passed and we’ve entered into Advent. I love this time of year. Everyone seems to go out of their way to be nice to others on good old planet Earth. Doesn’t it make you wish that we lived in this season year-round?

Good news!

We don’t have to live this way for only a few weeks of the year. We can actually carry Christmas in our hearts throughout the year, and we can spread that joy to those we meet on a day to day basis.

List of Five Things
Here’s a list of just a few things we do at Christmas that we could do at other times during the calendar year.

Let Your Light Shine

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

This Sunday, December 2, 2018, is the first day of Advent. Many of you will know what this is, but many likely will not. In the Christian church, Advent is that period of time of expectation, leading up to Christmas. It includes the four Sundays preceding Christmas. During our church services on those Sundays, we light one Advent candle each Sunday.

Some will have already decorated their homes for this holy day—Christmas. You’ve put up your tree and hung garlands and wreaths. Perhaps you’ve even purchased gifts and have a few wrapped and tucked away beneath your tree.

Your True Colors - Are They Masked?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

My husband and I love to take long drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of the perks of living in the gorgeous mountains of western North Carolina is getting to experience the glorious colors presented by the change of seasons. Rhododendron in the spring or red, yellow, and orange leaves announcing the arrival of fall. We are among the ranks of those who proclaim that fall is our favorite of the seasons.

On any given day of the week, you could find us out and about, seeking that perfect photo-op. Now, neither of us will ever declare ourselves to be photographers. That title belongs to others.

Sending Prayers for Healing

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I hope this verse will bless you this week, especially if you or a loved one are suffering from disease or sickness. I’ve just gotten home from spending a week with my precious sister Bobbie.

Walking Miracle

Three years ago Bobbie was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was not good—stage four. But with a lot of prayer and anointing and laying on of hands by her son and members of her family and the body of Christ, she won that battle and was cancer free for almost two years. She was a walking miracle.

In the past two weeks, she has learned that the cancer has returned and she must wage war against it again. I was blessed to be with her this past week in Florida. I flew home today (Wednesday as I write this) and arrived only an hour ago.

Jesus - He's All About the Gravy

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

It seems the older I get the more I travel back in time to my childhood, youth, my life as a young wife and mother. I took such a trip just this past week. 

Let me begin by claiming my rightful place as a Daddy’s girl. My poor Papa couldn’t go anywhere without me on his heels. I even waited outside the bathroom door, patiently sitting on the cold, tile floor, until he exited and made my world a whole lot brighter and warmer.

Papa's Soft Voice

The house we lived in at the time is no longer standing. It was wiped from the face of the earth by a speeding driver plowing straight into it. Unsalvageable, it was bulldozed. But the memories remain in my heart. Memories of cousins chasing one another long after sundown. Riding the limbs of the old pecan trees as if they were our horses. Hiding beneath a tented bush in the front yard. 

Be a Friend --Find Community

For the past two weeks, I’ve written about Soulful Ink, a Facebook group, open to anyone who feels they need rest from all that comes at us in this old world. I love that group.

I’m not going to talk about that group per se, today, but I want to encourage you to find a group like this in your community. You don’t have to be particularly talented. You don’t even have to do the artsy, creative things. Just be there for one another. Pray for one another. Support one another in the day to day things of life. (1Thessalonians 5:11)

I think most of us would agree that we have decent, if not blessed, day to day lives. But everyone has had or will have those days when we just want to walk away from everything, throw up our hands and shout, Uncle. Those are the days on which we really need to support one another.

Most, if not all, of us know the twenty-third Psalm. This just reminded me of the line Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.

Turning Worry Junkies into Journal Junkies

I’m touched that so many of you stopped by to read my blog about Edie Melson’s Soul Care. I hope that you went over to our Facebook group, Soulful Ink, and joined in on the fun and worship. If you haven’t done that yet, it still isn’t too late. Edie’s videos are available right on the site, along with all of the fabulous print-outs she’s made available to us.

Last night, Edie talked about worry. I don’t know about y’all, but I am an award-winning worrier. Yes, I know, it isn’t exactly what I should be doing, but, hey, I’m human just like you. Plus—I’m a bit of a control freak.

I cannot believe that I just admitted that . . . but it’s true. I know what I would do in most situations (until it comes to my own life), but our four sons seem to have minds of their own, and they don’t always listen, or even want to listen, to Mama any more. Insert heavy sigh here.

Soul Care- Spending Creative Time with Our Creator

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve participated in an online group, not a Bible study group, per se, but one that is doing a study called Soul Care. It’s based on the book by the same name written by Edie Melson, co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Marketing Conference, and a soon to be Soul Care conference. 

This isn’t your ordinary Bible study. This is Edie’s way of taking us out of our busy days to not only spend time with God in prayer and rest, but using our creative selves to worship Him through “creative expression”. The back of the book blurb reads in part, “She has learned that sensory involvement deepens our relationship with the Father and gives rest to our weary souls. She will teach you to tap into your creativity.”

I’m so glad that I joined the online group. I missed last week due to being at a writing conference, so this week, I’ve been playing catch-up. The activities Edie has created that go along with the prayers and devotionals in Soul Care are not only fun, but are thought-provoking. I have found myself diving deep into the Word and spending time with my Father in a way I’ve never experienced. It’s life-altering and we’re only into week three.

Thankful for Another Birthday

Today is my birthday. I can tell you that they seem to come around far more often these days. But I’m not complaining. I think of many classmates who are no longer with us. I think of well-loved cousins who have gone to be with Jesus. I think of the children of friends and family who left us far too soon. I think of my parents. And I’m thankful for this birthday.

When I was three, my mama had a party for me at our home with cousins and friends and, of course, my big sister there to help me celebrate. Mama made Sissy and me matching taffeta evening gowns for the occasion. They were red and so pretty. I can still smell the fabric and hear the crinkle sound it made with each movement. I loved that dress.

Calling in the Big Guns

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I’ve been at this writing business for quite a few years now. Decades, really if you go way back to when I wrote my first novel in seventh grade. It was awful, as you would expect. But I wrote faithfully, every single night. I took my work to my friend who eagerly awaited the day’s additions. All these years later, I have no clue what happened to that first book. Knowing my mother, it quietly made its way into the trash once I was otherwise occupied with normal teen things—Sunday afternoon movies, hanging out with friends, church youth group,  and always, music.

Surprises Never End When Doing Genealogy

By Debra DuPree Williiams @DDuPreeWilliams

By now, most of you know that I write cozy mysteries. If you aren’t familiar with cozies, they are a sub-genre of the mystery family. In a cozy, there is an amateur sleuth and there is no graphic showing of the murder. The murder takes place off-stage and there are no yukky things, in other words, no graphic murder is described, as it is happening, or after the fact.

The cozy I’ve written takes a page from my own search for my great-grandmother’s (our Daddy’s grandmother) grave. My sister and I have looked for her final resting place for over twenty years . . . to no avail. She isn’t buried by her first husband, my great-grandfather, nor is she buried next to her second husband. Indeed, no one in my family even spoke of a second husband. Ever.

Peace in the Storms of Life

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I hope you will be blessed by these words and the accompanying photograph. With the hurricane hitting my state and those around us this week, I thought we could all use the reminder that Christ is the Peace within the storm. Even when the flood waters rise around us, He is still there, holding us in the palm of His hand. May we find His deep peace in the coming days as we work to get our lives back to normal.

TWEETABLE

Peace in the Storms of Life @DDuPreeWilliams (Click to Tweet)

A Storm is Coming-Are You Prepared?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

With the arrival of hurricane Florence fast approaching, we see people hurrying here and there for needed supplies. Grocery store shelves are already empty in many areas. Water is in short supply in the coastal regions of both North and South Carolina. I hear that even some interior areas are running short. And forget about finding a loaf of bread.

Getting Out of Harm's Way 
Freeways have been made one-way in both North and South Carolina as people flee the areas most likely to be hit the hardest by this massive storm. Indeed, one friend who lives in my area posted on Facebook last night that she was stuck in very slow traffic. But she went on to say how fortunate she is that she isn’t among those fleeing. Where we live, we should be safe.

It's Apple Season--Have You Picked the Best One?

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

This past weekend brought with it not only Labor Day weekend, but the seventy-second annual apple festival here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. This is a lovely time of year. The local orchards are packed with people eager to pick their own apples. I can see why. The trees are literally bowing down beneath the weight of the crop this year.

The varieties are many and there is something for everyone’s taste. There are the familiar red or golden delicious, Gala, which is an early variety. There are apples from Jonagold to Mutsu. That was one with which I had absolutely no familiarity. But it is very good.At any of the orchards, they have samples so you may taste prior to heading into the orchards, basket in hand.

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Last week I and several of my writer friends attended the North Georgia Christian Writers Conference sponsored by Word Weavers International. Under the direction of Eva Marie Everson and Mark Hancock, it was a great conference and my eighth one. Wow! I have no idea how it became that many. The wonderful thing is—I have learned something new at every single conference I’ve attended.

My first conference was back in 2014, the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. If you’ve read my blog, you will know that it was absolutely a God-incidence that I even wound up there. At that time, I was so naïve and green, I had no clue what I was doing or if I could even call myself a writer. I took a couple of picture books and some silly poems with me. Silly in that they really were silly in content, intentionally. I timidly showed those poems to Michelle Medlock Adams, noted children’s author, and Sally Apokedak, who now has her own literary agency. Am I a writer? That’s all I wanted to know.

The Day the Music Died

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

If you are of a certain age, you will likely remember this song sung by Don McLean in 1971. Its actual title was American Pie. It refers to the day that rock musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a plane crash. After the song came out, that day was referred to as the day the music died.

My husband recently shared an article with me written by Jon Henschen. It appeared in Intellectual Takeout, an online app to which my husband subscribes. The title of the article is The Tragic Decline of Music Literacy (and Quality).

Heartbreaking

If you’ve known me for a while or you’ve been following my blog, you know that I have a couple of degrees in music. One of our sons has his Masters degree in instrumental conducting. Three of our four sons play bassoon, our eldest plays drums and guitar, and they all have beautiful voices. For me, reading this article was heartbreaking.

Native American Heritage-Have You Made This Discovery?

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

This weekend will mark the thirtieth annual PowWow of the Nansemond Tribal Association in Suffolk, Virginia. I had planned to attend, but at the last minute, I am not able to do so. It isn’t just the fact that this is the thirtieth event that is of significance, but this year, the Tribe has just been federally recognized. 

It is amazing that it took so many years for this to happen. The Nansemond Tribe has been around for centuries. They were/are, indeed, a part of the Powhatan Nation. I know you recognize that name. Powhatan was the father of Pocahontas. Fast forward a few years to 1618, and my own seven-times-great grandmother was born, a member of the Nansemond Tribe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nansemond

Waiting Isn't Easy

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I don’t know about you, but I don’t wait well. I really hate to admit that, but it’s true. I can’t stand to wait in line for much of anything. I love the activities at Disney, but I hate the lines. Going out to dinner anywhere in Florida is a nightmare, but forget Friday or Saturday nights. The lines are impossible. I’d rather eat at home than to wait forty-five minutes for a table in even the best restaurants in town.

Yes, I know that doesn’t speak well of me. But it’s a part of who I am.

Patient Child

When I was a child, my mother told me that I was one of the most patient people she knew. I’d spend hours at a menial task, such as untangling a knot in a favorite necklace. Things such as that still don’t bother me too much. It’s the lines I can’t tolerate.

A Legacy of Love

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

My Wedding Day, August 1973, 45 Years Ago

My Daddy, Bob DuPree, was an avid gardener. Gardening was one of his many hobbies, but was the one he loved most and the one he was able to do up to the day he died. He passed away five years ago, leaving a legacy of hard work, patience, compassion, love, but most of all, what it means to be a doer of the Word.

Papa, as I always call him, was a simple man. He didn’t require a lot to be happy. When my sister and I were wee ones, Papa’s sport was hunting. One day he came home with his prizes, a squirrel or two, maybe a bird as well. When my sister and I cried over the poor little animals,he put away his hunting rifle and never went hunting again. He was willing to sacrifice a sport he truly loved for the sake of the hearts of his two girls.

Could Your Ancestors Read and Write?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I’ve spent the past twenty years or so doing family searches. My search began in libraries, courthouses, and cemeteries. When Ancestry came along, I joined and began using their compilation of records for many of my searches. It wasn’t the cheapest way, but it was definitely the easiest.

Ancestry had online records such as census, wills, deeds—most of the things one would expect to find in doing genealogical research. Today, ancestry is much more comprehensive, offering not only these records but access to European records, passenger lists, and many newspapers from all over the world.

Digging Up Dirt: My Top 5 Sites for the Beginning Genealogist

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know that part of its focus is on genealogy. As I’ve said, I’m not a professional genealogist. Like most of you, I began with a curiosity about where I came from . . . where my roots are. My journey began back in the 1990s when we moved to Florida and I met the regent of my local DAR chapter, a fellow-member of our church choir.

I had no clue where the road would lead me but believe me when I tell you, I’ve been on more pot-hole-filled, back-woods-country-roads than I ever thought possible. I’ve gotten lost more than once. I’ve driven over rain-slicked, red clay roads, over briar and bramble, and trudged through the thickest, insect-infested woods in south Alabama. All for the sake of finding the final resting place of a long-forgotten ancestor.

Scripture and Hymns, The Gospel in Song

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I don’t know why I should be surprised, but in the past couple of weeks, I have been by the number of scripture verses posted that are anthems or solos I’ve sung at one time or another in my lifetime. Now, granted, when you get to be my age and you’ve been singing in church since you were three, you should know a verse or two and not just Jesus Loves Me.

This got me to thinking of the tradition in which I was raised. My Daddy’s family worshiped in the Presbyterian church, my Mama in the Methodist. During WWII when Daddy was fighting over in the Pacific and Mama was home with Bobbie, Mama went to the Methodist church close to her home because it was too far to walk to the Presbyterian church where Daddy and his family had worshiped. Then, when Daddy came home from the war, the people at the Methodist church came by to welcome him home. Sadly, his home church didn’t do the same. That is how we became the only Methodists in the DuPree family.

My Patriot, One of Many

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Since we celebrate our great country’s birthday this week, I spent a bit of time today looking up my great-great-great-great-grandfather’s Revolutionary War service. As we celebrate our independence, I couldn’t help but think about Grandpa Jeremiah Dupree.

Grandpa Jeremiah was born November 16, 1754, in Brunswick County, Virginia, which became Greensville County in 1780.  He entered the service in Greensville County in 1777 as a Volunteer and was Ensign of the Company. His commanding officer was Captain William Peterson.

Apparently, Grandpa went in and out of service. When he left, he was replaced by his brother, Cordell Dupree. It seems that they swapped places with one another from time to time. Terms of service were only three months. I suppose they thought the war wouldn’t last long. I have no clue and I am no historian. In 1780, Grandpa volunteered once again and entered the service within the same county.

Who's in Your Path?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Have you ever thought about the people you come across on a daily basis, or even those that seem to be chance encounters? I’ve thought about this a great deal lately—mostly in regards to this writing journey I’ve been on since 2014.

One of the main influences upon me back then, and even today, is my sister Bobbie. She’s been a big influence upon my life since the day I was born, but for the majority of my life, I wasn’t aware of just how significant a role she played. I knew she was my big sister and that she loved me and I loved her, but I was a kid, a teen, a young married woman, then a busy mother raising four sons. Who had time to think about the things she may or may not have been pouring into me?

Half-Baked Beats Blown to Bits

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

One thing about me that most people don’t know is that I have a super-sensitive nose. That’s right, I’ve been gifted with the nose of a blood hound.

To prove my point, here is a short story. Our youngest son and I were walking through a mall in Florida one day. We were coming from one end, exiting through one of the big anchors, level two, into the promenade inside the mall. I told my son that I smelled spearmint and that someone nearby was chewing spearmint gum. Now, we all know that very distinctive odor. You probably don’t smell it as I do, but you are familiar with it.

We made our way down the storefronts and the aroma grew stronger. Son, didn’t smell it. Yet. We make our way to the other end of the mall and took the escalator to the bottom floor. Now, the smell was almost overpowering. At the bottom of the escalator, on the first floor, all the way on the opposite end of the mall, stood a woman taking one of those familiar surveys. She was smacking away on none other than spearmint gum. And this is just one such story of which there are too many to count.

At the End of Your Rope?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Have you ever felt that you were at the end of your rope? I think most of us have. Sometimes life just throws so much at us that it’s hard to cope. We don’t know if the decisions we’ve made are the right ones, friends betray us, people say hurtful, cruel things to us or about us. The ones we thought would always be there either leave this world or they simply abandon us for one reason or another.

When I saw the man up in the tree in our back yard, I had to walk away. See, I’m deathly afraid of heights—Acrophobia. I have a case of that big time. I don’t do well on even a short step ladder. Forget the eight-foot one out in our garage. Nope. That little beauty is my husband’s domain.

We recently moved into our condo here in North Carolina. The actual move-in was at the end of January, but we weren’t really living here until the beginning of May. In January, there were no leaves on the trees outside our rear windows. We had a fairly unobstructed view of the golf course that lies beyond our boundary.

Voices of the Past

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

The Headstone of my GGG Grandparents

Y’all know that I’m into charting the genealogies of my family. I’ve been working on some lines for as long as twenty years, maybe even more. With a few, I got lucky, or rather, blessed. There were people who did the foot work long before I became interested. And when I say foot work, I mean literal walking through courthouses, libraries, and cemeteries, not to mention, vacant fields where old homesteads once sat. I imagine they spent hours rummaging through dusty, old documents in search of that one paper that would tell them this is who you are.

Have You Done Your Homework?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

That may seem an odd question to ask as school draws to a close for the summer. For many, this is just the start of a very busy season. Just because school is out doesn’t mean the work ends. I’m talking about for writers.

This time last week I was busy running around the hills and up and down the stairs on the campus at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain, North Carolina. I was there with my sister for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. This is a fabulous conference for those of you who may have any kind of interest or a calling to write. It is run by Edie Melson and DiAnn Mills, two outstanding authors and all-around fabulous women. Each of these ladies has the heart of a teacher.

BRMCWC 
BRMCWC, as the conference is called by many, is a full four days of learning the craft of writing from the very best teachers in the industry. If you go to this site https://www.blueridgeconference.com/  you will be able to read all about the faculty for this year. Delve deeper and you will find classes they taught. It is an intense week filled with not only learning opportunities, but appointments with agents, editors, and publishers, and just about anyone associated with the publishing industry. We also have a time of worship each morning and each evening followed by keynotes from member of the faculty.

Making Tough Decisions

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I’ve recently had to make a pretty big decision. It was big to me, although in the scope of my entire life, it would seem inconsequential. I actually struggled for weeks with this. I declined something I thought I was being called to do. But when I look back, this decision had been there all along.

When this opportunity first presented itself, I was gung ho. But in the back of my mind I was hearing, wait, the timing isn’t right.  But I didn’t heed that voice. I just went headlong and even talked about it with enthusiasm. All the while, that Voice was imploring me to wait. (Psalm 27:14)

Family Reunion: Making Memories

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

We’ve recently had my husband’s two sisters and their husbands visiting. Sue, the younger of the two, and her husband Bill live in Athens, Greece, and we don’t see them very often. Kay and her husband Randy live in Birmingham and they’ve come several times since we’ve lived in North Carolina. It’s been five years since the three siblings were together.

One thing families always seem to do is reminisce about the olden days. We are no exception.  They talked about people and places they all remember from their childhoods. I’ve heard these stories so often after almost forty-five years of being married to the baby of the family, that I know many of the people and places, too. And it doesn’t hurt that my husband’s mother grew up in my hometown. We graduated from Andalusia High School, twenty-eight years apart.

Almost Home but Lost

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

My husband and I recently made the long trip from our little villa in the Tampa area of Florida, 650 miles up the road to our condo near Asheville. This was our fifth or sixth trip up here since the beginning of the year. I actually lost count. Suffice it to say, when you are of a certain age and you’re traveling up and down the roads on trips that far, it can wear on a body. In spite of that, we decided to make it in one day.

I haven’t driven a lot since about 2011. That year, we went from a three-car family to a one-car couple. Our youngest was off in college and he needed reliable transportation. Seeing no need for us to have two cars, we sold J’s car to said son. Along with the loss of the car meant that I drove very little. My husband became my chauffeur. As one of my dear friends so aptly put it, J (that’s my husband)  was spending his days, Driving Miss Debbie.

Now picture a woman who hasn’t driven more than a handful of times in the past seven years, having no choice but to drive the family car from Tampa to Asheville. It was an undertaking I wasn’t in the slightest looking forward to, but I did it with mostly a smile on my face.

Precious Memories Linger On

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Do you ever experience days in which memories come flooding without any warning? I had one such day this past week. Of course, I was talking to my sister at the time. I was working on last week’s blog about churches closing their doors. Our thoughts soon turned to the little town in which we grew up. Andalusia, Alabama, was a great place in which to live out our formative years. It is small-town USA, but it was filled with the best teachers, mentors, Sunday School teachers, pastors, friends, one could hope to have.

Sissy didn’t spend as much time in Andalusia as I. She entered the eleventh grade the year we moved there and soon went off to college and marriage. I was in the fourth grade at East Three-Notch Elementary School.  Mrs. Jay was my teacher. I have fond memories of her.

WWJD: The Story of In His Steps

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

My sister recently gifted me with a bunch of old books. I brought the box of books home where I put it aside until a couple of weeks ago. When I finally got around to going through them I found an old, yellowed copy of In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon. The introduction in my copy dates it as 1956. I remember hearing about this book in the past, but I wasn’t as familiar with it as I would be if I had read it. I finally got it out and began reading. One of the things that stood out to me as I read the preface was that this is the source of the phrase, what would Jesus do?

I don’t know about you, but I thought this was a twentieth-century-coined phrase. Late twentieth century. I had not heard it until my children were in youth group at our church and they all began wearing the rubber bands with the anacronym printed upon it—WWJD. I called my sister and talked to her about this book. She reminded me that Mama had a copy of it when we were girls. That’s why the title seemed familiar to me. Still, it wasn’t a book that I had read. By now, I was intrigued. I had to learn more.

When DNA and Art Colliide--Chromosome Painting

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Last week I went over the basics of DNA testing. As I said, I am not an expert. I just happen to be the person most people in my family go to for information. The likely reason for that is that they are only marginally interested in our ancestors at best. To me, they are an integral part of the person I am today. Even though I have never met the majority of my ancestors, I feel a deep connection to each of them.

But it isn’t just about the DNA. The largest part of learning about one’s ancestors is discovering their personal stories. My great-grandmother’s story impacted me so personally that I wrote my first novel, a cozy mystery, centered partly around her missing grave. To this day, we still have no clue where she is buried in spite of searching for her for over twenty years.

DNA Testing--Yes or No?

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

A few of my cousins on both sides, my and my husband’s, have asked if I’ve taken a DNA test, and if so, which one I chose. The answer is, yes, I have. I did the Ancestry test a couple of years ago. I tested, my husband tested, and so did all four of our sons.

The Ancestry test is autosomal. At this point, that is the only test Ancestry offers. It is very popular, in part, in my opinion, because it is far less costly than many of the others, especially if one waits for a sale. The cheapest I’ve seen it is $59. It is normally $79. FTDNA can be as high as $500. That’s a lot of money. 23andMe is $99 on Amazon, $199 if you choose to do genealogy and health. They had another one, MyHeritage for $75. I’m not familiar with this one, but I’ll do some research before next week and I’ll make inquires of my cousins.

But cost shouldn’t be the only factor when one is choosing a DNA test. It actually depends on what you wish to learn about yourself and your ancestors. The three main types of testing available are autosomal, mtDNA, and Y-DNA. Let’s delve into what each is.

New Tricks for the Family Genealogist

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Y’all know that I consider myself to be an amateur genealogist. I’ve been doing family searches for about twenty years, but I am by no means an expert. This has been a hobby for me all these years. I rely heavily on other family members who know how to do the serious looking. I also rely on websites for the latest information, but I didn’t know all  they could do.

I ran across an article in the past couple of weeks about a trick that the pros likely already know. I’ll admit, I didn’t know this one. They called it the most important search trick you’ll ever learn. Well, I can tell you that grabbed my attention . . . big time.

Working Through the Busyness

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I don’t know about y’all, but I’m tired. I feel as if I’ve been on a non-stop roller coaster since Thanksgiving. And the tired is just about to catch up with me, as soon as someone lifts the bar and lets me off this ride.

Sometimes life just takes over and we find ourselves in the midst of just too much busyness. And we can’t stop it because we have to do the things we have to do, like it or not. As my beloved niece is fond of saying, it is what it is.

That’s where I’ve found myself the past few weeks. I’ve completed my first novel and I’ve been hard at work on the edits with the best editor out there IMHO. But in the midst of trying to finish the first round of edits, my husband and I had to go from our little villa in Florida to North Carolina where our home there was being renovated.

Nicknames--We Don't Get to Choose

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

My sister and I had a good conversation last night about nicknames. We shared a few laughs walking down memory lane. I don’t know how prevalent they are up north, but here in the south, I know a lot of people who are called by a nickname.

My name is Debra Ruth, but most people who’ve known me all my life call me Debbie. I’m not sure that’s as much a nickname as some, but I guess it still qualifies. One of my Florida friends always calls me Debra D. My husband calls me D. My grandchildren call me DD.

If I Had Hammer

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I have a lot of family and friends who have decided to jump on the let’s get healthy band wagon. I have to applaud their efforts. Some have done quite well with their lifestyle changes, but others are like me, they go up and they go down, and they go up again, and down again. You know, the proverbial, cliched yo-yo. You’ve probably seen the cartoon of the woman with a hammer or some such object in her hand, and the scale broken into a thousand little pieces. That’s so me. Some days, I just want to bash that scale.

This World is Not My Home

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I couldn’t imagine all those years ago, when I stood in a chair next to my sister in one of any number of churches in the Dothan, Alabama, area, that the lyrics of this Gospel hymn would find their way, flying around the world, in a quote by the beloved evangelist, Rev. Billy Graham. Nor could I have imagined as a child, gathered as a family around our old black and white television, that I would one day see the young man preaching with such love and passion, pass from this life into eternal life.

I don’t recall the first Billy Graham Crusade we watched. I do know it would have been in Dothan, Alabama. We never missed one of his televised events. I was only a child of about five or six the first time I remember seeing one of the crusades. The young minister delivered the Gospel message in words that even this child could understand. Hundreds, if not thousands of people left their seats to go down front and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The choir sang softly in the background, Just As I Am. Though I was very young, my heart was stirred and tears poured down my face as I watched. Every single time.

How About Your Heart?

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

This month I’ve been talking about heart health with a strong emphasis on heart disease in women. I hope that as you read through these posts, you found something that made you stop and think or ask questions about your own heart health. At the very least, I hope that you know that women’s symptoms are different from men’s and that you will seek immediate help if you should experience any of the symptoms I mentioned.

Today, I have one final question for you about the state of your heart. How is it spiritually? In other words, is it right with God? Now, I am no Bible scholar, nor am I a minister of the Gospel. I am just a simple woman─wife, mother, grandmother, writer, follower of Christ.