My HeartPaths

About Me

My HeartPaths was born out of a passion for writing and storytelling. I think this was passed down through my genes from my Pops who loved to write. It seemed that he just couldn't stop. His writings turned into pages! And more pages! He wrote on the back of any piece of paper that had a blank side.... or a blank space!  I have many of those papers today. But I've digressed. We writers tend to do that you know... go down rabbit trails as we travel along the path.

I have a heritage that is deeply rooted in the Christian faith, with a Baptist grandpop preacher, a mother who heard God's audible voice speak to her after her father had been shot and killed when she was age ten with five younger siblings... "Everything is going to be ok Mae", a father with a pentecostal experience when he was a young man and his praying lifestyle continued until he ran and completed his race (you'll hear more about him if you become a fan of my stories), a late husband who with four of his adult siblings sang and played gospel music together for a few years.... And after the tragic death of my seventeen year old son Danny, I never blamed God but instead attributed my survival, strength and growth to Him. I am now married to a man of like faith and for that I totally give credit to God for putting us together... He and I were both widowed and believe that we are together in this season of our lives for a reason... He encourages me to excel as I pursue the quest of why I'm still here in this world that is not my home, cause I'm just a passing thru....  And I gently nudge him to do the same!

Borrowing an introductory phrase from a column that I co-authored with my sister many years ago, "I may choose to write  in my own personal family hillbilly dialect which more often than not, leaves the rules of proper grammar and punctuation".  That is where my heritage is, in the everyday lives of my people in these 'hills' and 'hollers' of West Virginia and in the words we speak. It was on one such 'hill' where I was born.... at home!   And in one such 'holler' where I grew up.  Born the second daughter to Pops, who was the youngest son of Baptist preacher Rev. W.W. Jennings and his wife Josephine of Wirt County, and Momma, who was the oldest daughter of Gilmer County farmer and countryman J.G. Weaver and his wife Delphia.

Growing up in that little narrow valley meant that playtime was often in the nearby creek stream, turning over the small rocks to watch the crawdads quickly swim backwards as I shrieked gleefully in the scramble of making sure that they didn't reach my toes with their pinchers. Sometimes at dusk while an orchestra of frogs croaked near that same stream, I would be in the yard with my Grandma, Momma, Auntie or my Uncles who had carried kitchen  chairs outside to sit on as they enjoyed the evening air while waiting for the house to cool after cooking supper.  I would run around the yard catching lightning bugs and hurriedly take them to whoever was holding the glass jar with a lid punched full of holes for air and there I dropped the lightning bugs, that I had learned to hold gently so as not to squash them, into the jar.  Then off again I ran to catch more. This catch and drop into jar cycle was repeated until darkness fell, along with the gathering dew on the grass and we had an old fashioned fireworks display in a quart jar.  Good times at a very young and tender age!  

Life is a series of paths, each leading to different experiences, situations, detours and pauses before reaching our destination of crossing the finish line. This platform is created as a place to share stories with hope to inspire, guide or simply a place to be understood. From time to time I may include guest writers who will bring their own uniquely flavored stories to the table. I believe that by sharing our heart's stories, we can help light the way for others.

I hope to never offend anyone but as an old saying goes, "He who cares not about the praisers or about the fault finders has peace of mind."
Come along with me on this journey.  I hope you enjoy!