Destiny’s Tapestry

About the Book

On a stormy night, as a hurricane raced up the Gulf Coast and created havoc in its path, Betty Gilliland was born on a corn shuck mattress in a barn at the foot of Sand Mountain. As soon as the midwife wrapped her in a blanket and gently laid her in a cow manger, Gilliland began a journey through life that would eventually test her spirit, courage, and, most of all, her power to forgive. Gilliland begins by chronicling her growing up years during a challenging time in America’s history. Her father was drafted into the war and then abandoned his family, leaving Gilliland and her mother to eke out a life for themselves in their tiny cabin, surviving on a diet of wild greens, nuts, and roots. As she weaves through the threads of her life’s tapestry, Gilliland recalls the challenges she confronted during her difficult coming-of-age journey as she suffered through hardships, physical abuse, emotional abandonment, and her own self-destructive behavior. Yet through it all, she never lost the faith. What’s more, she used that faith to begin building a new life and to discover her roots. Destiny’s Tapestry shares one woman’s poignant memories of moving from the darkness of abuse into the light of healing.

About the Author

Betty June Gilliland is the mother of three sons, two daughters, and grandmother to many grandchildren. She and her miniature pinscher currently reside with her eldest daughter on Sand Mountain in Alabama, where she enjoys friends, winter nights, firelight, and good books.