James G. T. Fairfield

Frog Hollow Journal: Reality and Illusion: the Education of a Canadian Family in the Shenandoah Valley, with Some Thoughts on the Beatitudes James G. T. Fairfield

Frog Hollow Journal is a colorful memoir ? peopled with vividly drawn neighbors, family members, and a beloved dog. It is the story of one family?s quest to carve out a more authentic life amid the demands of modern society. With self-deprecating humor and the telling detail of a born raconteur, James Fairfield traces a path from his childhood on the Canadian prairie to his transformative experiences on a small farm in Virginia?s Shenandoah Valley. James, like many of us, felt overwhelmed by responsibilities, credit limits, and rush hour traffic. After moving to Virginia, however, he began to yield to the countryside?s slower cadences and realize that life doesn?t have to be so hectic. His musings along the way, and the lessons learned through exploring the Beatitudes, trace his spiritual journey as well. Anyone, he proposes, can learn to live ?Frog Hollow style,? practicing integrity, neighborliness, and indomitable faith. Here is an affectionate account, roaming from the pick-up ball games and lively escapades of the author?s youth on the plains of Manitoba, Canada, to the honorable inhabitants and timeless traditions of the Shenandoah Valley. His experiences, often humorously humbling and spiritually challenging, are illustrated by Norma?s drawings.