Life By The Pool. . .it's just BETTER!: Walk to Remember

Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne with Ken Abraham

Before I read this book I knew of some of Jimmy Wayne's songs but nothing about him. Now I know his story. A story that had me crying until the very end. You will find this book to be inspiring and yet at the same time hard to believe. It was heart breaking to hear his story yet inspirational at the same time.

Imagine yourself a thirteen-year-old hundreds of miles away from home, in a strange city, and your mom leaves you at a bus station parking lot with just enough money to buy a ticket and drives off with her lover.

This is a real life story of country music star Jimmy Wayne. He shares details that are so honest that only Jimmy would know having lived through it. His mother made him pay rent while allowing her drug addict and alcoholic friends live there for free. Jimmy would beg his mom to make them leave and her response was always the same, they're my friends.

His mother didn't care if he had food to eat, clothes to wear (much less clean clothes), had a bath or got an education. She only cared about herself. It was always about her.

Jimmy lived in many foster homes and on his own for many years. One thing he said that I will never forget is children of foster care do no unpack their things. They knew there is a high probability that they will be asked to leave, so why bother to unpack? #breaks my heart

Jimmy hustled trying to make an honest living any way that he could. He began working at the age of 10 so he could send money to his mom in prison, trying to win her love. She was never grateful and she never told him thank you.

Praise God for placing Russell and Bea Costner in his life. They showed him love, forgiveness and grace. Russell took Jimmy shopping for school clothes for the first time at the age of 16. Jimmy had no idea what size he wore or where to start in trying on clothes. This was his first time to have new clothes that actually fit him.

Jimmy shares his rise to fame and the struggles he endured in the music industry.

He overcame great adversity in his life and has gone on to use his country platform to help children everywhere. The cause he speaks loudly for are the teenagers about to age out of the system.

In the middle of the book Jimmy shares photos of different times in his life.

So grab a box of kleenex and get comfy....you aren't going to want to put this book down until you have reached the end.