by JTwisdom | Apr 4, 2018 | From the Heart |
Today, we remember one of the darkest days in American History.
April 4, 1968
Outside Room 306, where Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Martin Luther King, Jr. King had traveled to Memphis in support of the striking black sanitation workers who were protesting low wages and poor working conditions. King, staying at the Lorraine Motel, was planning a peaceful protest march with the workers. Tragically, an assassin’s bullet struck down King while he was standing on the balcony of the Motel on the evening of April 4th. At 6:01pm, a single bullet was fired from a rooming house across the street, killing the most influential civil rights leader of the 20th century.
The viewpoint of the Lorraine Motel from the rooming house, from where King’s assassin was positioned.
The Lorraine Motel became synonymous with the civil rights movement. The National Civil Rights Museum opened in 1991 on the site, incorporating King’s room and the rest of the Motel into the design of the Museum. My wife and I visited the Museum in 2012 to learn more about King and the civil rights movement. Read more about our visit to the museum, by clicking here!
Fifty years later, we remember King and his work to end racial discrimination and to bring equality to people of this country and around the world. I often think about how the nation would have been different had King been able to continue his work.
Has King’s dream of racial equality been achieved? What are we doing to ensure that the dream is kept alive? These are very relevant questions today because I often hear the same sun that is shining today was shining then. Well, that may be; but there’s still so much work to be done. King spoke of love and peace to make this a better world. In the news, we see more hate than we do peace.
What can we do?
It starts with love. We have to love ourselves and then love one another. It may sound cliche; but love is what makes the world go round. We have to be involved in our community and be involved in our schools and churches. I often hear people saying, “Is this 2018 or 1960?” Diversity is wonderful and describes what King believed and said in his speeches.
We read about the I Have A Dream speech, but I wanted to include the Jail No Bail Movement Instagram Post from the National Civil Rights Museum. He stood up for what’s right and this such a strong message.
The National Civil Rights Museum will be honoring King’s legacy on Wednesday, April 4th. Whether you are in Memphis or not you can participate in the #MLK50BellToll. “Places of worship, colleges, and institutions world wide will ring bells 39 times for each year King lived at 6:01pm, the time he expired.”
What is on your mind as we remember King’s legacy? What more needs to be done to make his dream is a reality? How far have we come? How far do we have to go? Leave a comment and let us have a conversation that can used to bring everyone together.
by JTwisdom | Mar 11, 2018 | From the Heart |
Hello Wonderful People!
I pray that all is well with you and your family.
My wife and I have begun a journey to find out about us. We completed a DNA test through 23 and Me to find out about our genetic composition. After a long wait, we finally received the test results back and we are ready to share them. For more information about why we took the test, click here!
J and T
From the results that we received, there were a few surprises, a few inaccuracies in our family’s oral histories and few unanswered questions. Let’s get to the results.
First of all, my overall results were
Jay’s overall DNA results!
Not a big surprise there. It is inline with what I was thinking it would be. However, when the European data was broken down into more specific regions of the continent, I was hit with our first surprise.
According to the results, I am only 64.6% French/German. Forever, my family has claimed to be 100% German, with no other ethnicities in the mix. But according to this, I am also 10.5% Scandinavian, 8.4% British/Irish; and 1.8% Eastern European. But what does this mean?? According to 23 and Me, it means that most likely I had a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent who was 100% French/German and lived between the time period of 1880 and 1940. That part I knew. In the genealogical research that I had done previously, I found that my great-great grandparents were born in Germany. Further, 23 and Me stated that I most likely had a 2nd, 3rd or 4th great-grandparent from Britain/Ireland and Scandinavia, in the time period of 1760 to 1850. And a 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th great-grandparent who was born in Eastern Europe, which could be the Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Hungary. I had not completed the genealogical search prior to 1840, so it is possible that with further research I will be able uncover who these non-German family members would have been.
Please note that the way that the test is set up, 23 and Me places French and German DNA into the same category because that area of Europe is same geographical location. 23 and Me is advancing its scientific testing, so in the coming months there will be more specific geographic locations in my test results. When those results are released, we will let you know.
And now for my wife. We could not wait to receive her results because we had not completed her genealogical research, so we did not know what to expect. Her overall results stated the following.
JT’s overall results
With 73.8% West African, it means most likely a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was born in West Africa between 1880 and 1940. This would make sense and there is no doubt about that information. Now for the surprises that we found. My wife was told that one of her great-grandparents on her mother’s side was of European descent. Based on the results of 22% European and specifically 7.2% British/Irish, there is good possibility she had a grandparent, great-grandparent or 2nd great-grandparent born in Britain/Ireland between 1850 and 1910. That would verify the family’s claim; but it is now time to start that research to see if we can find that person. The family also stated that she had a great-grandmother who was a Native American. However, according to 23 and Me, it is a likely the Native American ancestor was a 3rd, 4th or 5th great-grandparent born between 1700 and 1820; which would have been much earlier than the family had suggested. The test results further suggest that there is also a 3rd, 4th or 5th great-grandparent from Scandinavia who was born between 1700 and 1820. And a 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th great grand-parent who came from Southeast Asia, Iberia, Central/South Africa, France/Germany, and Oceania. My wife was surprised to learned that she had a such a diverse DNA background. This was all new information that she had not heard from her family. We With the enhanced results that are coming, it will be good to get a more specific location to these broad areas and to learn more about where her family lived at.
23 and Me provides you with so much more information that just these statistics. We are going through all the information now and processing what it all means. We will share more about the specifics as we understand them more fully. Also, we share our own personal thoughts about what these means to us. Stay tuned!
by JTwisdom | Feb 26, 2018 | From the Heart |
Men!
Are you getting your annual check-ups with your primary care doctor?
I cannot stress the importance of going to the doctor every year for blood work and regular examination.
You may have many excuses for not going; but I am here to tell you that your health is more important. The following infographic by hims shows the recommended health exams by age group. The earlier in your life that you start, the better you will be.
You may say, “I don’t have time!” Well, I say, “You have to make the time.” You make the time for the other important things in your life. Whether it is work-related issues, or personal things, you plan for them. If you want to take a vacation, you plan for it months in advance. The same effort should go into your health. Decide when you want to get the examination, make the appointment and put it in your calendar. In my experience, the appointment lasted less than one hour. Your health is worth one hour of your time!
You may say, “I don’t like going to doctors.” Well, I say, “It is much easier to go to a doctor when you are well; instead of going when you are sick and needing care.” The point of an annual examination is to establish a record of your health and to see how it has changed from year to year. If you wait until later in life to go to a doctor, he or she will not have any basis for the symptoms or know where you have come from.
You may, say, “I don’t have the money to do it.” Well, I say, “Most insurances will cover an annual examination to you at no cost.” Check with your insurance company, and see what is covered and what the total cost will be to you. If you don’t have insurance, check with local doctors and clinic to see what the actual cost would be and if they accept any kind of payment plans.
When it comes down to it, your health is the most important thing in your life. If you don’t have your health, you cannot enjoy life. For me, it is a personal thing. My father passed away from lung cancer when he was only 54 years old. He was not one to go the doctor, even when he was sick. When he found out that he had cancer, the tumor in his lung was already the size of a softball. Had he gone to the doctor more regularly, I believe that the cancer and the tumor would have been found sooner. And his chances of beating the disease would have been much higher.
Because of this tragic story with my father, I had found a primary care doctor for my annual check. I was determined not to let this same thing happen to me. The doctor I had was very good and encouraged check-ups. However, he retired and his replacement had a completely different philosophy. I would go in for my appointment, and he would wonder why I was there. On several occasions, he told me that he didn’t want to see me until I was fifty. Something about that didn’t seem right. So, I decided to find another doctor. It was a challenge finding one, but ultimately I was able to find a doctor who agreed that annual check-up was not only important, but a necessity.
So men, I challenge you!
This is a call to action.
Find a primary care doctor!
Make that appointment!
Get that examination!
Your health and your life depend on it!
by JTwisdom | Jan 24, 2018 | Bible Verse of the Day |
Hello Wonderful People!
I pray your week has been great so far!
My wife and I are taking part in a 21 day fast with our church.
We are praying and fasting, believing God for supernatural breakthroughs in our life.
One area of our life in which we consistently have on our prayer agenda is for divine health and healing.
1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV) – via YouVersion
Everyday, in our prayer time, we confess healing scriptures over our life. We confess a long life, walking in total divine health and free of all sickness and disease. We confess this over our ourselves, our family and friends, and our doggies as well. We want anyone we know and love to live a long and abundant life.
One of those scriptures which we profess each day is 1 Peter 2:24. This is a foundational scripture that everyone needs to be confessing over their life. In this scripture, we see that Jesus Christ has already bore (taken) our sickness when he went to the cross for us. When He died on the cross, our sins were forgiven and our sicknesses were healed. We just stand in faith to receive it. We know that Jesus can and will heal any sickness or disease that Satan tries to use against us. We have seen many miraculous signs of healing in our life. And we know that many more miracles are our way.
If you are needing prayer in your life for healing, please let us know in the comment section below. We will stand in agreement with you for your complete healing and total restoration of your life; In Jesus Name.
by JTwisdom | Jan 16, 2018 | From the Heart |
Hello Wonderful People!
I hope you are having a wonderful week. It’s been bitterly cold here in the Show Me State. I hope you are staying warm and enjoying a good book. I have been reading Time Management Magic by Lee Cockerell, who recently spoke at a reception at our church.
Have you ever wondered about who you are and why you are who you are? Have you ever thought about what makes you, you? If you could find out more about your parents, your grandparents and your ancestors; would you do it? If you could take a test that would tell you more about your ethnic makeup, would you be curious to find out the results?
Taking a Journey To Find Out Where We Came From
For a while now, my wife and I have been asking these questions and curious to know more about us. We wanted to know more about the wonderfully unique attributes that God used to make us. We had been hearing advertisements on TV and online about DNA tests that can help answer these questions. To be honest, I was quite skeptical of them from the beginning; but my wife wanted to take the test anyway. After asking colleagues about it, and doing some of my own research, I decided that it would be worthwhile. So, my wife and I decided to take a journey – a journey to find out where we came from.
Of the many companies out there, I decided to use the testing service from 23 and Me. From my research, 23 and Me offered the most comprehensive results and provided the most details. With this test, it will break down your DNA into ethnic percentages; telling you how much of DNA is from a specific region or area of the world. The results and reactions that I had seen from the people who took the test were amazing and made me a believer.
23 and Me uses your own saliva to analyze your DNA
Why Take The Test
For my wife and I, we have very different reasons for taking the test. Yes, we both wanted to know more about where our ancestors came from; but it was much more to it.
Me
I previously researched my family and traced my them back to the 1850s when they migrated from Germany. Looking at the family tree, all of my ancestors from that point to now where from Germany. I wanted to know if the scientific research matched the genealogical research. I wanted to know with more certainty if this was accurate or if there were other ethnicities in this mix. I had not researched the family prior to the 1850s, so I didn’t know if other ethnicities were in the mix prior to that time. I have always said that my family was German; but now would I have to add other groups into that. Also, in my line of work as a historical researcher, I help people doing their own genealogical research. I wanted to be give my opinion of the testing if anyone would ask me.
My Wife
I just wanted to learn more about my family pure and simple.I first started looking into Ancestry. However, my hubby told me that 23 and Me had a special running during Thanksgiving so we decided to test it out. I have heard some history from family members that I had a Native American great-grandmother and a half-white, half-black Grandfather on my mother’s side, but not sure what region. I know very little about my father’s side of the family. Other than that, I have little known information about my family heritage. I am curious to see what the results will say when I get the percentages back.
We started the journey back in November. We submitted our salvia test and we should be getting the results back anytime now. When we do, we post the results and our reaction. Let us if you have taken the same test or a similar one. Were the results what you were expecting? What did you learn from it?
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