Treasured Moments is full of treasured memories and moments pulled together in stories and poems by various Midwest writers. World War II stories, Appalachian Mountain stories, life's struggles and love stories, along with some humor and nature's captivating beauty. A must read and library collection - something for everyone.

The stories in this book were written by three aspiring authors, two of the writers are male, and the other one is a beautiful lady. The one thing they all have in common is their Kentucky heritage. All three think it's very important to pass the stories from Kentucky on to other generations. The two younger writers are from Letcher County. I was born in Breathitt County, raised in Knott County, and married a girl from Magoffin County. My wife and I eloped and married December 31, 1935. We struggled to survive the great depression. Shortly after our daughter was born February 25, 1940, we moved to Middletown, Ohio. Early in 1945 we moved to northern Indiana. We spent a lifetime in Knox, Indiana. My dear wife died November 14, 1986. I moved to Columbus, Indiana November, 1988. Several times we entertained notions to move back to the hills of eastern Kentucky. A famous poet once stated, "You can never go back home." My cousin, Grover Watkins, would try to cheer me up. "Smith, we don't have to go back. We never left the hills of eastern Kentucky. We'll carry memories of the hills and hollows in our heart and soul for the rest of our lives."

We all know we came from somewhere. We know we had a beginning, a start from a single embryo that grew and developed into the human being that makes each of us who we are today. The mystery is what really sparks the presence of the human soul? Are we born with it? Is it in our genes as we develop into human forms while yet in the womb? Or is the soul developed through emotions and feelings that are created from the moment of birth, and nurtured through our senses and environment? Pondering these questions, the world of human cloning comes to mind. Are human clones really human, or are they human robots without souls? Amid our questions, the world continues on, unaware perhaps of the discoveries and events that could be taking place right next-door. Has it happened?