Wisdom from the Woods–Life lessons learned from being around me
Consistent truth, to me, is credibility. So before I share wisdom, I must share truth. For reasons known to them, my parents left my twin brother and I when we were seven years old. We were raised by my grandparents, my grandma mostly, and that’s where my life began. A blessing, it seemed. We were brought up in a place of unspeakable joy. That changed when my brother, John, was killed, in 1996. It left a hole in my soul I still can’t articulate. I hated this state and everything connected to it. I moved away and swore I’d never come back. Some wounds take longer to heal. When mine did, I realized something unanticipated. I missed the mountains, the amazing moments that only happen here and, most of all, I missed the people. After that, I decided to find joy in the only place it exists for me and that is West Virginia. I’ve made up with this place. She never left me, I left her. I found the missing part of me. This is where I belong. Now, my inspiration comes from you and I live every second in search of the experiences I missed by being away too long.
– Jim Shock, LBSPY #16
HASHTAGWV ART & ENTERTAINMENT Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Christina Entenmann-Edwards has been a WV resident since September 2008. She was born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and is no stranger to hard work and the entrepreneurial spirit. In 2006, she graduated from Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Connecticut), Cum Laude, with a B.A. in History. In 2010, she graduated with an M.B.A. from Liberty University (Lynchburg, Virginia). In February 2012, Christina launched HashtagWV as the area’s first full-color, free arts and entertainment tabloid + online platform. Christina completed the Leadership West Virginia class of 2021, which is an innovative program that grows, engages, and mobilizes leaders to ignite a life passion to move West Virginia forward.