A Simpler Place in Time

About the Book

As the youngest girl in a family of ten, Shirley Hale Whitlow presents this collection of twenty-five short stories for all ages. The stories take place in the rural area of Ferrum, Virginia, which is in the southern part of the state. It tells about her childhood memories growing up in the mid-fifties. These inspiring stories include visiting grandparents, conversations around the dinner table, spending Christmas in the mountains, attending public schools, learning life’s lessons (including how to drive), and plenty of other surprising twists and turns. What is the one thing that people want most? To be remembered and missed when they are gone. With this book, hopefully, there will be a remembrance revival. It would be great if everyone that reads this book jotted down their childhood memories and passed them along to others. Just imagine the emotions of a person that has lost their only child, a family member, brother, sister, or dear friend, and several years later, they read a book and see their loved one’s name in print—knowing that someone else has been thinking of them and has written their memories down for others to share? What a glorious feeling that would be. Go do it. Start a movement.

About the Author

Shirley Hale Whitlow grew up in Ferrum, Virginia. She tells stories about her childhood in Franklin County. As an adult, she worked in the apparel textiles as director of product development and resident artist until the textile manufacturers in the Southeast closed their doors in late 1999. After working as a hospice volunteer for more than twenty years, she assumed the position of director of bereavement and hospice volunteers in Martinsville, Virginia. Later she went to Greensboro, North Carolina, and worked as an officer in the Department of Human Resources for Guilford County Government. She is now retired and lives in Bassett, Virginia.