Featured

Unsung Heroes-honoring mothers past and present

Mother’s Day is a widely celebrated occasion, with significant spending on gifts, meals, and travel. Notable mothers in leadership roles, such as Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Jill Biden, are changing the landscape. The movie “Unsung Hero” tells an inspiring story about a mother of seven who rebuilt her life in the face of adversity. Genealogical research and DNA testing offer valuable insights into family history and health.

Many countries around the world have a day dedicated to honoring mothers. In the United States, that day occurs annually on the second Sunday in May. The day is so widely observed that May is almost synonymous with Mother’s Day.

“Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the women who play a meaningful role in our lives,…”

NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay

Considering spending on gifts, meals, and travel, Mother’s Day is big business. “Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach $33.5 billion this year, (2024) according to the annual consumer survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure is the second highest recorded, following the 2023 record $35.7 billion. ” 

Mothers in leadership

For the first time in United States history, the Vice President is a mother. Vice President Kamala Harris is the first woman to hold that office. She is stepmother to the two children of her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (now Vice President) signing holiday cards for servicemembers, November 2018. Photo credit: U.S. Congress

First Lady Jill Biden is both a stepmother and a mother. When she married President Joe Biden (then a Senator), he was a widower whose wife and daughter had died in a tragic automobile accident. She helped him raise his two sons and they have a daughter together.

First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden and Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks visit Fort Drum, NY, January 30, 2023. (U.S. Army photos by Spc. Kasimir Jackson)

There are mothers on the Supreme Court. Justice Amy Coney Barrett has seven children, two of whom she and her husband adopted. The newest on the Court, Justice Ketanji Jackson has two daughters with her surgeon husband.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett . (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Official U.S. Senate photo by Rebecca Hammel)

Unsung Hero-the movie

I recently saw a new movie which tells a true story about a mother. Helen, a mother of six, lived in Australia with her concert promoter husband David.

She was pregnant with their seventh child when David’s business went bankrupt and they lost their large luxurious home. After several business leads fell through, they immigrated to the United States to start over, literally with nothing.

The movie convincingly portrays David’s anger, despair, and embarrassment that his business failure made his family destitute, for which he blamed himself. Meanwhile, Helen remained optimistic, clinging to her strong Christian faith, creating a warm loving home, and nurturing her children despite their lack of material possessions.

With sacrifice, hard work, prayer, and support from friends and their church, they slowly rebuilt a successful business that includes not just David but the entire family. Three of their children are now well-known recording artists, which is how I learned about this movie.

Two of their sons, Joel and Luke, sing together as a “Christian pop” duo they call For King and Country.  My husband and I attended their concert which was quite a production of sound, lights, and energy, as you can see from the photos I’m sharing.

photos by Dr Aletha at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK

During the show, they introduced the movie, Unsung Hero, about their parents, Helen and David Smallbone.  Joel and Luke produced the film, and Joel directed and played the part of his own father! (Spoiler alert, their sister, singer Rebecca St. James, has a cameo role in the film.)

We were intrigued and decided to see the film when it was released. We did and were not disappointed. It would make a remarkable story even if it weren’t true. You can find it in a local theatre now, or later, look for it on a streaming platform.

Unknown mothers-genealogy

I read an interesting statistic the other day. I don’t remember the source, but it claims that many people do not know the names of their four grandparents and even fewer know their eight great-grandparents.

That surprised me because even though I never met any of my grandparents, I at least knew their names. And thanks to genealogy research, now I know the names of my great-grandparents. I am a novice at genealogical research, but the more I do, the more fascinating it is.

If you want to know more about your ancestors, start now with your oldest living relatives; you don’t know how much longer they will be around and once they die their information is lost. Also, talk to younger relatives who may know more than you think. Record and store everything you learn in a safe place.

pedigree-chart-modern-treeDownload

Genealogical information is easier to find now with the help of the internet, but not all information is reliable so you need to cross-check names and dates carefully. You can always use an all-purpose search engine like Google or Bing but sites specific for genealogy are more useful. Some of these are

Some genealogy sites are free, some offer a free trial, and some are free with optional upgrades.

DNA testing

Genetic genealogy creates family history profiles (biological relationships between or among individuals) using DNA test results combined with traditional genealogical methods. With DNA testing, genetic genealogy can determine the levels and types of biological relationships between or among individuals.

ILLUSTRATION OF DNA, Credit: Darryl Leja, NHGRI

This branch of genetics has become popular, as costs are drastically reduced making genealogical studies using molecular techniques accessible to the general public. The advantages of including DNA, instead of only using traditional genealogical research, include

  • the ability for researchers to extend their ancestry beyond the paperwork of recent centuries, and
  • to construct ancient pedigrees through molecular evolutionary studies.

Genealogists also use DNA to solve mysteries in their immediate families, such as to discover the biological parents of adoptees or to determine the accurate male ancestor in a non-paternity event (NPE).

Before taking a DNA test, consider the research question that you want to answer and learn about the different tests and companies that are available to choose from.

Mother’s Day

Whether you are reading this post on Mother’s Day or not, I hope you appreciate the mothers who impact your life, including those who are not biological relatives. If you are a mother, consider leaving your descendants information about your ancestors to make their future genealogical searches easier, especially about family medical history that might impact their health.

A family health history can identify people with a higher-than-usual chance of having common disorders, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes. These complex disorders are influenced by a combination of genetic factors, environmental conditions, and lifestyle choices. A family history also can provide information about the risk of rarer conditions caused by variants (mutations) in a single gene, such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease.

We can thank science for these tools that enable us to anticipate and prevent disease and premature death and to identify the “unsung heroes” from our genetic past.

exploring the HEART of health

I’d love to have you join me for my next post where I share more information and inspiration to help you turn health challenges into health opportunities.

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Dr. Aletha

Raymond and I at the For King and Country concert

Some affiliate links in this post pay a small commission to this blog if you make any purchase through them. Here are two other links you may find valuable and which also help support my work here.

Bookshop.org is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. They believe bookstores are essential to a healthy culture and they are dedicated to the common good. Bookshop.org donates a portion of every sale to independent bookstores.

Many people find using their phones a convenient way to read and meditate on the Bible. And it’s easy to do so with the Dwell Bible App. With Dwell you can listen to and read the Bible and special devotional offerings for Advent, Lent, and throughout the year.

Featured

May timely topics-memories, memorials, and mothers

In May, we honor and remember mothers, celebrating parenthood and family with the all-star comedy “MOTHER’S DAY.” This month evokes memories of proms, graduations, and weddings, as well as timely topics like health concerns and women’s health. The month also includes observances like Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, along with personal reflections and celebrations.

May is a month of remembering and creating memories.

Mother’s Day

In the United States, we designate the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day to honor mothers. You may not be one, but we all have one, although, like me, yours may be deceased. (I know other nations have a similar day on a different date.)

Me with my mother when I graduated from medical school in 1978

You may have pleasant or not-so-pleasant memories of your mother; nurturing may not come easily to some women, possibly because they did not receive it. Sometimes when that happens, other women step in to bridge the gap. They deserve to be honored also.

Mother’s Day-the movie

From Garry Marshall, the director of Pretty Woman and Valentine’s Day, comes MOTHER’S DAY, an all-star comedy that celebrates parenthood and family.

Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, and Jason Sudeikis lead an incredible cast in a film that intersects the lives of a group of people maneuvering their way through a crazy week of difficult relationships and family dysfunction in the week leading up to Mother’s Day. It’s a comedy that will make you laugh, cry and cheer! (this is an affiliate income-generating link)

Memories

May is a traditional month for proms, graduations, and weddings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many did not happen as planned but most found creative ways to create meaningful memories anyway.

Here I am dancing with my son at his 2019 wedding which might not have happened a year later

I married my husband in May; I almost share an anniversary with the Duchess of Sussex, the former American actress Meghan Markle. She and Prince Harry are parents of a cute little boy, Archie, and a girl, Lillibet, named after her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth of England.

Now the family lives in the United States, California. Their marriage has been strained by family, political, financial, and personal issues, as have most marriages. I wrote about our marriage journey in this post.

Two Words That Still Change My Life

When I watched the war in Vietnam on TV news, I didn’t realize the doctor I had read about had worked there. I never imagined that I would ever go there. And I never imagined that war would help me meet my husband, and create a family that brings me joy every day.

Keep reading

May timely topics include

exploring the HEART of health, memories, and celebrations

I’d love to have you join me for my next post where I share more information and inspiration to help you turn health challenges into health opportunities.

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cheesy-free faith-focused stock photos

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Dr. Aletha

Wondering what to get Mom for Mother’s Day? Maybe some help with remembering her passwords?

RoboForm Password Manager. What I use to manage passwords.

Art from Ashes-remembering the Murrah Federal Building bombing, April 19, 1995

A reflection on the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the event and its impact, personal connections, including a sketch of Will Rogers and a statue of a fireman with a child. Art inspired by the tragedy is also discussed. An invitation is extended to visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

This is my tenth year of blogging, having started in February 2015. In April 2015 I posted my first piece about the 1995 Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building terrorist bombing that killed 168 people. The New York City World Trade Center attack in 2001 far exceeded the human toll of the Murrah attack, but for such a relatively small city and state, it was devastating for us who live in Oklahoma.

At precisely 9:02 a.m., the bomb exploded.

Within moments, the surrounding area looked like a war zone. A third of the building had been reduced to rubble, with many floors flattened like pancakes. Dozens of cars were incinerated and more than 300 nearby buildings were damaged or destroyed.

The human toll was still more devastating: 168 souls lost, including 19 children, with several hundred more injured.

It was the worst act of homegrown terrorism in the nation’s history.

FBI.GOV

Although I was born and raised in Tulsa (the second largest city in the state) Oklahoma City played an important role in my life. I attended medical school and residency there at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. It was where my husband and I lived the first seven years of our marriage and had our first child. By 1995 we had been in Tulsa several years, but still had friends and extended family in Oklahoma City.

Since that first post, I have published several others about the event, all illustrated by photos taken at what is now a memorial and museum dedicated to the victims and survivors. I thought I had said all I had to say about it.

But as I looked through other photos, I found some that portray the essence of the event differently, so am sharing those here. Maybe this will be my final post on the subject, I’m not sure.

Will Rogers, Cowboy Philosopher

Will Rogers, a native of Oklahoma, was one of the world’s best-known public figures, as an actor, writer, humorist, pundit, speaker, and philanthropist. In his long-running newspaper column, he frequently made politicians and current events the subject of his dry humor. He lived from 1879 until he died in an airplane crash in 1935.

photo by Dr. Aletha

In this sketch published soon after the bombing, David Simpson, editorial cartoonist for the Tulsa World, made Rogers the subject, reacting to the headline of the Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Echoing a phrase Rogers often used in his writing, the artist titled the sketch

All I know is what I read in the papers.

Will Rogers

The newspaper sold reprints of the sketch, which I purchased, framed, and photographed. It still hangs on a wall in my home.

Several years later, Mr. Simpson was fired from the newspaper for an accusation of plagiarism involving an unrelated cartoon.

Eric Fischl, Man with Child

photos Dr. Aletha, 2015

When sculptor Eric Fischl saw a television image of fireman Chris Fields carrying a child from the Murrah Building after the bombing, he saw a similarity to this statue he had completed in 1992. He was so moved by the connection he donated the sculpture to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art where I saw it and took these photos. About the fireman image and the sculpture he said,

“It’s an image you don’t see much-a man with a child. The man is walking and you don’t know if he is walking toward something or away from something.”

I cropped the photos to keep this blog post “family-friendly”. Go to this link to see a photo of the full statue, warning-nudity

You can see the Pulitzer prize-winning photo of firefighter Chris Fields holding Baylee Almon(who died) at this link, but I warn you it is graphic and heartwrenching.

Cynthia Daignault-Oklahoma

photos by Dr. Aletha, 2022

Artist Cynthia Daignault was a senior in high school in 1995, isn’t from Oklahoma, and didn’t live here. But she heard about the bombing in Oklahoma City and it left an impression on her.

She eventually visited the Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum. When she started an art project of 100 paintings to represent 100 years of history, she chose the Murrah building bombing for the year 1995.

About this painting, she wrote,

“I wanted to create contemplation, quiet thoughtfulness, and sadness.”

I saw and photographed this image at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

At this link you can view photographs of the damaged Murrah Building that inspired Daignault’s painting; warning-these images are disturbing

Oklahoma City bombing

A Boy Reading with a Dog

statue of boy reading a book

photos by Dr. Aletha, 2015

I found this statue at Washington Irving Memorial Park in Bixby, Oklahoma, about 110 miles from the site of the Murrah Building. Despite my online searching, I didn’t find the artist’s name or the name of the statue. I call it A Boy Reading with a Dog. The sign reads

Dedicated to the children who perished in the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Building.

Nineteen children died in the Murrah Building bombing, most were in the onsite daycare center.

An Invitation from Dr. Aletha

If you ever come to Oklahoma, please take the time to visit the site of the Murrah Building, now the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. The outdoor Memorial is free and always open. There is a nominal charge for the museum operated by a private nonprofit foundation, not a government entity.

exploring the HEART of health

Thank you so much for sharing these remembrances with me. If this is the first time you have heard about the event, I hope it will inspire you to learn more.

A reminder about copyright. Just because something is on the internet doesn’t make it ok to borrow and use it without permission. The photos in this piece are mine and the original art belongs to the artists. So, if you want to share, please do. Just give credit to the original sources.

I’d love to have you join me for my next post where I share more information and inspiration to help you turn health challenges into health opportunities.

Add your name to the subscribe box and I’ll send you an email when I publish a new post. Click the link in the email to go straight to the post. You won’t get anything else. You can easily unsubscribe anytime but I hope you won’t.

Dr. Aletha