In This Issue

Charis Gathering
     was held July 27th - July 29th, 2017
Charis Family
     Casey Medrano
Charis Cuisine
     Heavenly Broccoli Salad
Charis Around the World
     More to come on our trip to Kenya!
       
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Our Director's Heart

Delilah Lickiss

Everyone has a story. Midwives seem to have exceptionally interesting stories. Some are more exciting than others, but the stories all seem to have people sitting on the edge of their seats as the tales unwind. In the last newsletter, I promised to tell a little bit of Delilah Lickiss's story as it is remembered by her granddaughter, Virginia Conklin, who I had the benefit of interviewing in July.

It was World War I and the men were off to war, including the country doctors serving rural America. What were the communities to do? Who would they see when they were sick? The small town of Arlington in Fayette County, Iowa, was one of those towns that faced losing their doctor. Their doctor, however, was thinking ahead. He knew that Delilah Lickiss, the one who attended nearly all the births in Arlington and neighboring towns, could be trusted to provide care for the citizens of their town in his absence. Virginia Conklin explained that he went to the town's pharmacist and said, "If Delilah Lickiss needs anything while I'm away, you be sure to give it to her."

Delilah Hamlett Lickiss (June 27, 1879, to August 28, 1978) was married to Percy Dale Lickiss, who died in 1929 during abdominal surgery. Percy left her with 15 children to care for and a large medical debt to pay. Delilah slowly paid off the debt by doing laundry and ironing while attending births and raising her children. Delilah was a good neighbor and was always available to help people in need. It is no surprise that many people even requested her presence in their home to provide hospice-type care for those on their death-bed.

Without electricity, running water, or most of the conveniences we enjoy today, life for midwest housewives was far from easy under even the best of circumstances, but the extra burden of single-motherhood and a life of service to her community didn't keep Delilah from providing a good life for her children. Even her grandchildren and great-grandchildren remember her as an active, fun-loving woman. Her great-granddaughter Patricia recently recounted holidays with her youthful great-grandmother, who was always the one to take the kids outside to play baseball.

How did Delilah Lickiss in small town Iowa know about birth, health, and medical care without attending medical school or formal midwifery training? We don't really know how she may have received training, but her family recalls a large brown book with worn cover and pages that always sat on her shelf. She called it her medical bible. It contains advice on pretty nearly all subjects related to health and life: marriage, birth, babies, children, adults, death, veterinary medicine, nutrition, and the list goes on. This book was precious to her and she referred to it often.

Toward the end of her life, she handed that book to her great-granddaughter's husband, who was a chiropractor. In it, she wrote, "For my grandson, the doctor." Surely, that was the greatest honor she could have bestowed on Dr. Kent Schuchmann. A few years ago, that book was passed on to me. I get choked up every time I remember how amazing it was to hold her book in my hands for the first time. The book that was the source of education and inspiration for a midwife who served her community for decades upon decades, through two world wars, had been entrusted to me. Somehow, it felt as if I now had even greater responsibility to serve my own community with excellence, and pass along all that is inside of me to the next generation of midwives. My husband is Delilah Lickiss's great-great grandson, and her book will one day be passed along to our daughter Rose, the great-great-great granddaughter of Delilah Lickiss and an aspiring midwife. We have a rich, rich heritage.

There is much that is not remembered about Delilah Lickiss. As was normal for midwestern housewives, she just quietly went about her business and served without fuss or invitation for attention, and much of her story, perhaps some of the most amazing parts, was lost.

As you live, your story will unfold and grow. Keep it alive and pass it on to the coming generations. Tell your story often. There is power in the telling.

Blessings,
Kristin Schuchmann, LM, CPM
Executive Director, Charis Childbirth, Inc.
 

• For the Charis Childbirth Educator, Doula, and Midwifery students: sharp minds to learn, opportunities for lots of hands-on learning
   
• For the Charis CE’s, doulas, and midwives: rest, peace, protection, wisdom, discernment
   
• For the Charis missionaries and humanitarian workers: protection, peace, divine guidance, financial provision
   
• For  our  directors  and  administration:   Wisdom, guidance, energy, and provision from God as Charis enters this season of growth

The information in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of medical care and advice from your health care provider.