Pratt Davis has published a collection of contemplative essays titled Walking on Holy Ground: Essays on Being Present to the Mystery of Life that Surrounds Us. Pratt is a former teacher of English and a retired CPA who lives in Sparta. She is an avid reader and an active volunteer in the community.

Although there were signs that a writer lurked within her, Pratt’s first love was reading. It was a love of reading that caused her to elect a major in English at UNC-G. "I always have one or two books that I'm reading," explains this 20-year member of a local book club. "My Dad used to read to me when I was a toddler and I would say 'read it again, Daddy.' He would, and I'd say, 'read it again.'" Her sister called her attachment to reading an addiction.

It was her role in her church that caused Pratt to begin writing the essays. She attended the church's Annual Conference in June of 2014 as a lay delegate and was supposed to write a report for the local church newsletter about events at Conference. Instead she wrote about the experience from a reflective point of view. Pratt says, "I always thought I would do some writing, but that never happened until the monthly newsletter gave me a deadline and an audience."

Pratt's reflective approach struck a chord with others. "I’ve had people who come up to me and say, 'I love your articles, I can’t wait for the next one.'"

The idea to collect the essays into a book came from a second cousin to her husband. She had shared one of her essays and that cousin kept asking for more. Pratt thought she would print copies of the articles and give them as Christmas gifts, but never got that done. At her husband's suggestion, she explored having the essays collected in a book. With the help of a local publisher, Walking on Holy Ground was born.

The name for the book was taken from one of the essays that she wrote almost two years ago when she was a kidney donor for her adult son. She says, "The theme of that article seems to capture the overall concept of what the essays are about." Her essays reflect her spiritual journey. In the book, she tells a little about how she went from sitting in the pew to participating in an in-depth Bible Study, from beginning a practice of meditation to enrolling in a two-year program in Spiritual Direction in 1998. In that program, she was introduced to a variety of spiritual traditions and practices along with the study of dreams and the psychology of Carl Jung. The essays in her book reflect the practices and way of looking deeply at life's events, at the natural world, and at ourselves that she has experienced.

The essays invite readers to look at the ordinary surroundings of their lives through a contemplative lens. They ask us to a slow read, not a quick read, where we can sit with, think about, and chew on the thoughts shared in them. Each essay gives us a glimpse of the Mystery that surrounds us and the Meaning that runs like a thread through our lives. We are asked to stop, look closely, and appreciate the world around us. We are encouraged to see below the surface of our lives and experience the Mystery and Meaning for ourselves.

To order Pratt's book, email her here: dudavis@skybest.com

Eldon Joines, a native of Alleghany County and the grandfather of five grandsons, operated a fabric store and upholstery shop on Main Street in Sparta with his wife Kathy until they retired. An avid outdoorsman and active in the local community, Eldon served as a Boy Scout leader for many years. He enjoys tending to the family property—the seventh generation to do so— researching local and family history, and writing. After the birth of his grandson Landon and the incredible journey that followed, Eldon took on the task of recording what happened. The result is Landon's Story.

Landon's Story:
After Landon's birth, a surgeon told his family that Landon would die. His intestine had twisted, and his small intestine was dead. "You can’t survive without a small intestine," the surgeon said. The family mourned and waited for Landon's death until God intervened and revealed that Landon could survive with a small intestine transplant. But, Landon would need to survive the removal of the dead intestine, intravenous nutrition, infections, liver damage, and many other challenges before growing old enough and big enough to survive a transplant—about two years old. Landon's Story is the journey, as told by his grandfather Eldon Joines.

Links
Website: www.LandonsStory.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Landons-Story-107792294870943 Amazon: Landon’s Story: A Family's Transplant Journey - A Grandfather's Memoir: Joines, Eldon Dean: 9781736800201: Amazon.com: Books