Bagpipes and prison escapes. Raincoats and happy marriages. Funerals and favorite uncles. The power of invisibility and Christmas Eve. It’s a decidedly different way of thinking about meaning and purpose in life. Garland West tells simple stories about everyday life and quietly reflects on the universal questions that confront us all. Do good deeds really matter? How do I express real love? How can I understand the pain of others and endure my own? How do I deal with the loss of the people I love? What right do I have to judge others? How do I bridge the gap between total despair and absolute love? Where can I find faith amid so much cause for doubt? It’s the stuff of countless Sunday sermons across the rural south and Bible classes from deep within the Appalachian Mountains – all collected as a very personal hymnal. Appalachian Hymnal presents songs of faith and doubt, celebrating the mileposts in one person’s spiritual journey and continuing quest for answers to the questions that really matter.