Walking in Grandpa¿s Footsteps, is a book about ordinary events of life which contain the movement of the grace and mercy of God. The people and events described reflect a common ground that we all share with one another. Each vignette leads the reader into the world of the activity of God in scripture and in life. Where ever the two come together there the grace and mercy of God are applied. Therefore, to encounter God in the ordinary places of our life is to discover who we are and what God has called us to be. In this encounter with God, we discover our destiny and that God is constantly seeking to bring us from where we are to where we need to be. A hidden meaning of the book is that we do not journey alone, but that we are all connected in this adventure. We came from God and we will return to God. In our early stage of life, we followed someone. I have simply suggested that it might have been a close relative like grandpa. It reminds us that we have followed and some have followed us. As we journey through life, we leave behind our footprints.

Back in the 1960's tracing your Family Tree was just becoming an interesting hobby. Now, like a lazy little babbling stream merrily following the course of time, that stream has metamorphosed into a huge, directed waterfall and on to an almost out of control flood of family information. Between tracing records, having DNA tested, and the ever-increasing boundaries the Internet is providing, connecting with family one never even realized existed forty years ago, has become an absorbing, interesting avocation for everybody from school children to Seniors. Our family alone has over 14,000 leaves growing on one tree or another in such diverse places as England, Wales, Scandinavian Countries, Finland, USA and Canada. All of us looking to be connected to one another. One never knows where or when that connection may happen. It's just not the data that's important. Was that first traveller a thoughtful, directed man who only wanted a better life for himself and his family? Was he a rogue looking for a fast way out of town to places he would never be found? Did he leave because he was in trouble with the local constabulary, or was he looking for religious freedom? What about the women? Why did they come? What were their thoughts? What was in it for them? When you find the stories, they are fascinating! Our thirst for knowledge of these people is insatiable! Whether or not you are a leaf on one of our orchard of trees you may find a graft that will lead you to another branch where another leaf has been joined to one of our own. Come. Learn about us. Learn about yourself.

The Nim (North Fork Mono) Indians have lived for centuries in a remote region of California’s Sierra Nevada. In this memoir, Gaylen D. Lee recounts the story of his Nim family across six generations. Drawing from the recollections of his grandparents, mother, and other relatives, Lee provides a deeply personal account of his people’s history and culture. In keeping with the Nim’s traditional life-style, Lee’s memoir takes us through their annual seasonal cycle. He describes communal activities, such as food gathering, hunting and fishing, the processing of acorn (the Nim’s staple food), basketmaking, and ceremonies and games. Family photographs, some dating to the beginning of this century, enliven Lee’s descriptions. Woven into the seasonal account is the disturbing story of Hispanic and white encroachment into the Nim world. Lee shows how the Mexican presence in the early nineteenth century, the Gold Rush, the Protestant conversion movement, and, more recently, the establishment of a national forest on traditional land have contributed to the erosion of Nim culture. Walking Where We Lived is a bittersweet chronicle, revealing the persecution and hardships suffered by the Nim, but emphasizing their survival. Although many young Nim have little knowledge of the old ways and although the Nim are a minority in the land of their ancestors, the words of Lee’s grandmother remain a source of strength: "Ashupá. Don’t worry. It’s okay."

I t’s a humbling thing to write about persons who have greatly impacted your life. I am reminded that we cannot live alone without the influence of an individual (s) or a higher deity to affect our lives. There has always been someone who came before us and influenced us in a way that greatly mattered to us. They came with equal talents and gifts (of the Spirit) that guided us along the way. We must take heart and humbly seek guidance of our Creator. He will send a mentor or hero to help us whenever we are experiencing frustration or exhaustion. Our Savior God calls us to endure the pain and hurts as well as the successes. He will keep his promise to work in and through us. We must follow Him with exacting diligence to uphold our responsibility to be generous with a faithfulness, justice and a joyful heart.

Footprints is a profound collection of narrative poems. The partly humorous, dark and socially critical poems combine elements of storytelling with that of poetry. This book takes the reader on a journey through life beyond the unending colour palette.

During a time long ago, Emily and her brother, Jacob, live a simple life with their parents in a Christian home complete with a big cook stove and where every Monday is wash day. Even better yet, they live near their grandparents. When Emily and Jacob are not helping their father in the fields, they love setting off down the well-worn path to visit their grandpa-pa and Grandma Allie. Emily and Jacob love the entertaining stories their grandfather tells them about his youth. The children are particularly fond of one of the stories he tells more than others—the tale about the Haydoodle Man. While they wonder aloud if their grandpa-pa is really the old-timer, their grandfather is determined not to respond to their never-ending questions. But when a stray dog puts their family in a terrible dilemma, will they finally learn their grandpa-pa’s secret? In this historical juvenile novel, two siblings entertained by their grandpa-pa’s fascinating tales of days gone-by wonder if he is harboring a secret about his true identity.