Celebrating the life of Opal Myers. Opal lived in the back-mountains of eastern TN. She wasn’t famous or rich or, for that matter, even known outside her community, but yet she made a difference in my life and the lives of hundreds of others.
Can you imagine walking five or six miles through the snow carrying your two-week-old baby!
I can’t. As that mother snuggled her little girl close to her chest to keep her warm and safe from the biting Appalachian wind, I’m sure she had no idea her little one would grow up to be a source of hope and encouragement to her entire community and beyond.
Having read and enjoyed Catherine Marshall’s Christy, based on the adventures of her mother Leonora as a Smoky Mountain missionary, I was eager to seek out the truth behind the fiction. Barbara League has produced a true gem in so doing in Letters to Lori. In the real world “Cutter Gap,” the focus of the battles against ignorance and want shift from “Christy” and the Presbyterians to young Opal Corn.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Letters to Lori. It took me on a journey through the life of Opal Myers from the time she was a child and followed her as she grew up and became a teacher to those in need. As I read this book I felt like I was there experiencing her life right beside her. I learned of the struggles and heartaches she had to face but how those struggles turned her into a strong woman of faith who didn’t let trials get in her way.
“Letters to Lori was one of the best books I have ever read. Like most people, I came across this book while doing research after reading Christy. Opal is an inspiration to all and I will enjoy reading this book again and again!”
Stephanie C
One of my goals in writing Letters to Lori was to bring Opal to life for the reader, so that they too, could experience the gift of knowing her. Opal was truly a great blessing in my life and I will always cherish those memories. This Letters to Lori Review helped me realize I’d achieved my goal. Thank you, Keli.
What a tremendous surprise!! I could scarcely believe it. Letters to Lori wins an award! It was a bronze medal but to me, it was solid GOLD!! This is the article published in the Newport, Tennessee newspaper. STORY OF FORMER COCKE COUNTY RESIDENT WINS BRONZE MEDAL Letters to Lori: The Family History and Stories of …
Letters to Lori Wins an Award – Wonderful Surprise!! Read More »
Letters to Lori review by Marilyn Mitchem, a nationally recognized commentator on Catherine Marshall’s novel ‘Christy’ and my friend. Thank you, Marilyn, for your encouragement and support.
Opal Myers, a courageous Appalachian woman, breaks our hearts as she surrenders all to God amidst severe trials. Later in life, she assisted Catherine Marshall in her research for her best-selling novel Christy.
In 1992, Opal’s son Cary Myers asked me to write and submit an article about his mom to be published in the book – Cocke County, Tennessee, and Its People. “Opal Corn Myers (2/1/11-5/8/91) was the daughter of Flora Hall and Arthur Jackson Corn. She grew up in the Old Fifteenth District close to the Ebenezer …