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.