Going to Mamaw’s and Papaw’s Shared by Susan I remember piling into the car and heading up the holler to Mamaw and Papaw’s, coats buttoned tight and gifts balanced on our laps. Their house always smelled like wood smoke and something good cooking, and you could feel the warmth before you ever stepped inside. Mamaw would fuss over us the minute we walked through the door, touching our cheeks and saying how much we’d grown, while Papaw stood back smiling, glad just to have us t

Precious Memory Ornaments Shared by Debra The first Christmas without them felt wrong in ways I didn’t know how to name. Everything was the same, but nothing felt settled. When it came time to decorate the tree, we slowed down without saying why. Granny reached into the ornament box and carefully set three aside, one for each of them. Papaw’s ornament always made us smile. His brothers had made it years before as a joke, a tiny outhouse decorated with a Christmas wreath, comp

Christmas at the Little Church Shared by Kelly from WV Church Christmas wasn’t fancy, but it was steady. The little church would be full in a way it never was the rest of the year; coats piled on pew ends and babies passed from arm to arm. Someone always ran the wood stove too hot, so folks near the front fanned themselves while the ones in the back kept their coats buttoned. The piano was a little out of tune, but nobody minded. The children practiced for weeks, whispering a

When the Barn Looked Like It Was on Fire Shared by Linda By daylight, it was just another familiar barn along the river. I was walking with my nephews when we saw the field light up ahead of us, and for just a second my heart jumped. From where we stood, it looked like the barn was on fire. I stopped short, staring, trying to make sense of it. The glow was strong and steady, lighting up the night in a way that didn’t feel right at first. But as we got closer, I realized what