A Martha By Any Other Name

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.

The DNA of Jesus

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliam

If you read my blog regularly, you have figured out that I am deeply involved in doing my family’s genealogy. I’ve been researching any and all sides of my family for decades. With the addition of DNA testing, I have connected with more cousins than I would have thought possible. Just this week I heard from two “new” cousins whose DNA was a match to mine. Turns out, one of the ladies and I are closely related. My great grandparents are her great-great grands. We will be getting in touch sometime this week.

That brings me to a show we recorded last week, the week of Easter. There are many such shows on at that time of the year, as if it is the only time we become interested in learning about Jesus. This particular show was a bit different. It was on the History channel and was called The Jesus Strand: A Search for DNA.

You Come First

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Now before you get all in a dither, let me explain. I’m not talking about first as in “it’s all about me.” I see things from a Christian world view, so to me, God is always first.  I’m speaking from a genealogical point of view, and in that case, you do come first.

When I first began searching my family roots back in 1999 or so, I had no clue where to begin. I just knew that I was born a DuPree, Mama’s maiden name, and who my  grandparents were.

Finish What You Start--The True Glory

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

 

Sunset at Indian Rocks Beach, Florida,  2011

My sister Bobbie and I are the queens of unfinished projects. I cannot begin to tell you how many times one or the other of us has begun a project of one kind or another and abandoned it for yet another project, promising to get back to it later. You know how that goes. Later never comes. There is always something else out there that seems to be more fun or appealing on any given day.

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.