The Schoolhouse

On the eve of her 59^th birthday in 1955, my grandmother sat at her kitchen table and wrote my mother a fourteen page, detailed letter describing her adventures in 1916 as a young schoolteacher in a one-room, eight-grade schoolhouse nestled in the picturesque mountains of east Tennessee. In her letter, Grandmother encouraged Mother to turn those adventures into a short story and submit it for publication. While my mother never attempted that assignment, she passed on to me that handwritten record of a beautiful, true tale of faith, determination, danger, servitude, and love.

That letter lay neglected in a drawer for many, many years until one fall morning in 2011. In that week’s Wednesday night worship service at Church of the Highlands, Pastor Josh Canizaro prayed that people would go after the dreams that God had ordained for them. The following day, during my morning visit with the Lord, I believe He said, “Jill, it’s time to write her story.”

From a heart-dream conceived years ago, came The Schoolhouse, a storybook for families birthed through that courageous teacher's granddaughter and released in June 2012. It is my hope that my grandmother's story will encourage people to depend more deeply on God, inspire them to persevere through difficult circumstances, and motivate them to finish life strong!

The Schoolhouse is available:

Online at Amazon.com

In Birmingham:

         Cowboys Hwy 280
                     Homewood Toy and Hobby
                     Greystone Antiques Hwy 280
                     Double Oak Mountain Pharmacy Hwy 280

         Family Christian Hwy 280

         Sanctuary Christian Bookstore at Colonial Promenade

         Briarwood Presbyterian Bookstore

         Church of the Highlands Grants Mill Campus Bookstore
                     Church of the Highlands Greystone Campus Bookstore

In Fort Payne, AL:

         The Book Shelf

In Gatlinburg, TN:

         G. Webb Gallery

In Marion County, TN:

         Jasper Drug Store

         Whitwell Pharmacy 
            In Charlotte, NC:
                     Calvary Church Bookstore
            In Mt. Pleasant, SC:
                     Seacoast Church Bookstore