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Growing up in West Virgina during the depression years and the World War II years holds treasured memories for the author. In spite of difficult times, 'making-do' was not something to be endured--it was a way of life. Wild Meadow hollow was her small world. After eight years in a one-room school, her first glimpse of life beyond the hollow came only when attendance in the town schools became necessary. Change came quickly after marriage and a move north, followed by the birth of seven children. The tragic death of one of those children takes the author back to the faith she experienced as an 11-year-old child. God's promise in Psalm 32:8 became her lifeline: 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye.' The promise remained steadfast through the sometimes stormy years of marriage and struggles with acceptance and love. Barriers erected by acoholism and opposing temperaments became mountains that only forgiveness could penetrate. Experiences of serving in the Philippines as a missionary nurse is recalled with respect and affection, and a return to the states at 65 brings a somewhat reverse culture shock. Eventually, the author felt drawn back to the state of West Virginia. After 50 years, she is delighted to find the physical landscape of the hollow basically unchanged.
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