Lydia McKinley, single mother of eight, chronicles her life through inspirational stories of strength, will, and unrelenting faith. Imagine being a little black girl in the south, walking down the street at night, with a flashlight and no street lights, on your way back from seeing a dead body. Imagine being pulled into a strange man's apartment at age sixteen and held captive for hours. Imagine giving birth to eight children, going through chemo and radiation therapies, and experiencing a heart attack; and that's only a portion of the challenges you'd have to endure. Where would the tenacity to withstand the horror and pain and huge amount of responsibility come from? Through poetry and prose which she has written and collected throughout her eighty plus years of life, Lydia J. McKinley, takes us on a journey of walks which, without faith, she may not have survived. Many of the walks are literally walks by foot. Others are actions of change taken with hope for a brighter outcome. Some were forced. Some were chosen. Either way, they required great strength and courage to get through. She hopes that her ability to endure will encourage others to remain strong when they are on a trying journey which seems never ending. Faith was engraved at an early age and remained a part of her life at every phase. Once you read these amazing stories of survival, you will understand why it is Lydia's belief that the spirit of God is both definite and essential. You will also understand the importance of instilling the value of love in a child. Through her acceptance of the responsibility to keep moving forward and trust that beneath each step there will be a path, she shows how she has been able to fight the evil forces of physical abuse, neglect, illness, and racism which tugged at her along the way. As co-author of this book and the seventh child of this magnificent spirit of a woman, Keith Hampton attests throughout with words of his own. "Mom has given me the gift of words, and with it, the gift of faith. I am a believer because of her. So, I hope that after reading, you too are able to continue lifting your feet, pushing forward, and not just believing, but knowing that a path is laid out for you, and there is nothing less than God that can take it away."
About the Author: Lydia McKinley is a woman of faith who has endured the challenges of both raising kids as a single mother and growing up during the 1930's and 40's, post-depression era. As a mother of eight, her greatest accomplishment has been holding steadfast to her faith and teaching her children, grandchildren, and great-grands how to do the same in difficult times. Through her supportive and nurturing spirit, McKinley has served in many capacities, consistently tithed, and ultimately became the senior member on the mother's board at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, in Harvey, Illinois. Her first published work as an author was a poem entitled "Always Trust God," in Famous Poets Society's "A Poetic Odyssey," in 2001. She has since written a collection of other poems and short stories, including "Hold On," also published by Famous Poets Society, and ultimately accumulated her life's works of memoirs and inspirational writings into the collection which has now become "Walks of Faith." Co-Author, Keith Hampton, is McKinley's seventh born. "Walks of Faith" is his first published work in book form. In addition to sustaining the faith he has learned from his mom, Hampton has built a career in film and video production and education. As a filmmaker, he has written, produced, directed, edited, and distributed tens of titles, including "Earshot," which, in 2010, became the first feature length movie to hit the big screen with only one on-screen character for the entire movie, and "The Towers," a short film tribute to those affected by the 9-11 attacks on the Twin Towers. His films have shown primarily at theaters and film festivals. Most of them illustrate a strong sense of artistic expression with philosophical undertones, and usually include some type of unique and innovative attribute. For over two decades, Hampton has inspired thousands of aspiring filmmakers through both his works and teachings. He started youth film education programs in Florida and Georgia, where he also taught filmmaking to middle school, high school, and college students.