“Respect the past, trust in the future and believe in the power of the imagination.-”

“I could faintly smell the ocean. I imagined being one of the old oak trees standing there swaying in the wind and braving all sorts of weather. I pondered what they had seen in the past and what they might see in the future”

“As I held the family Bible in my hand and I could almost feel the joys and sorrows that connected me to the past.”

“The pages that follow will be our journey of the life we built together here in Concord, North Carolina. These pages will reveal fragments from the past and events that occurred along the way.”

“However, the path of God is unknown and deep are the waters. Often do we see what is pleasing, take a sudden turn of providence, that deprives even the most Godly of their happiness. We should not fear theses changes and trust that all things work for the greater good.”

“Children worked in the mills: "I will always believe that children are designed for green meadows and play, not for factories and cotton dust.”

“My darling, My day’s sweetest moments are at dawn, for I awake with dreams of you still in my head. As the light touches my lips, I can almost feel yours upon mine. I imagine your footsteps coming up the walk, but today is the same as the day before. It is only fanciful thinking. As the first beams of morning sunlight dance across my weary shoulders I cry out, “How can you be so cheery and bright with so much sorrow across our land?” I know I must be strong and face another day, but tears fill my eyes. Suddenly, a white dove lands upon my window sill. Surely this be the omen that peace is near at hand. Just like the breath of the coming Spring, this little dove now brings me new hope. God has heard our prayers and our Southland will flower again.”