Midwife Gabrielle Thrailkill loves her babies, and delivering more than 1,000 of them has given her a life-changing perspective.
Thrailkill describes her work as "catching babies" and says "each catch is a miracle."
Midwifery is still a big part of Hispanic culture, she said, and a necessity for most without insurance, given the high cost of giving birth in a hospital.
She notes how lives are changing and merging together. Some call it integration, and others say it's assimilation.
It's just change.
"We've seen a need in the community to help assimilate Hispanics into the Anglo community and to get involved in community and government activities.
"We want to encourage participation and bring Anglos and Latinos together," Thrailkill said.
"I've watched a lot of babies grow up, and the last few years, I've seen the babies become valedictorians in De Queen and Horatio," Thrailkill said.
"I've seen my babies go off to war and to college," she said.
Language is becoming less of an issue between white and Latino residents.
"We have younger Latinos who can speak English, but they have difficulty in speaking Spanish," she said.
The artwork on her business card alludes to Genesis, which means "the beginning"-the part of life she helps with.
For 25 years, Thrailkill has used an office on DeQuincy Street in De Queen, Ark., but she has 35 years' experience as a midwife and started her career in Mena and Cove.
The house, which is similar to the other white, wood-frame houses among the hills, is about three blocks from downtown De Queen. Inside, Thrailkill has computers and equipment to examine expectant mothers, including an ultrasound machine.
Certified by the Arkansas Department of Health, Thrailkill helps Hispanic families in Sevier County and the surrounding communities deliver their children.
The Mena native comes from a family of 10 brothers and sisters.
Thrailkill, a member of St. Barbara Catholic Church in De Queen, believes she is guided by the Holy Spirit.
"To me, it's the Holy Spirit because when the phone rings and someone is in labor, my first prayer is, 'Use me, Lord. Take my hand.' I rely heavily on the Holy Spirit or gut feelings or intuition," Thrailkill said.
"I know what is normal, and if it's not a normal pregnancy, I may not be able to identify it, but I know to transfer the care of the mother and baby to someone who can," she said.
"Witnessing life coming into the world is great," she said, "and I'm seeing my babies having babies."