I didn’t set out to create the Remembering Path.
At least, not at first.
Like most people, I was simply trying to find my way through life.
I’ve made mistakes. I’ve experienced loss. I’ve had seasons when I didn’t know exactly where I was going. I’ve started over, changed directions, learned things the hard way, and discovered that some of life’s most important lessons don’t come from having everything figured out.
They come from getting back up.
They come from realizing that yesterday doesn’t have to determine tomorrow.
And sometimes, they come from simply taking one more step.
My life has taken me through many different worlds. I’ve worked in emergency medicine, healthcare, laboratories, medical equipment, sleep medicine, education, and healthcare administration. I’ve spent years around people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
Those experiences changed the way I look at people.
A diagnosis is never the whole person.
A mistake is never the whole story.
A difficult chapter doesn’t mean the book is finished.
Behind every patient, every family, every struggling person, and every person who appears to have everything together is a story that most people will never know.
I’ve learned that we are all carrying something.
Some people carry grief.
Some carry addiction.
Some carry regret.
Some carry memories they don’t know what to do with.
Some carry things they have never told anyone.
And some are simply exhausted from pretending they’re okay.
But I’ve also learned something else.
People can change.
People can heal.
People can forgive.
People can begin again.
Sometimes they just need a place where they don’t have to pretend.
The Idea
The Remembering Path began with that idea.
What if there were a place where you could slow down?
A place where you could walk without having to know exactly where you were going.
A place where you could remember the people you’ve loved, acknowledge the things you’ve survived, think about the choices you’ve made, and consider the person you still want to become.
Not a hospital.
Not a classroom.
Not a church.
Not a traditional therapy office.
Just a path.
A quiet place surrounded by nature where people could breathe, reflect, remember, and perhaps discover something about themselves along the way.
That’s when the idea began to grow.
The path became more than a path.
It became a book.
Then music.
Then stories.
Then photography and film.
Then a website.
Then the possibility of creating a real physical destination here in West Virginia.
And eventually, the vision became something much bigger than I originally imagined.
The Path
The physical Remembering Path is envisioned as a journey.
There is a beginning.
There is a bridge representing the movement between the past, present, and future.
There are places to sit.
Places to write.
Places to remember.
Places to leave a message.
Places to simply be quiet.
Along the journey are words that represent the stages many of us experience as we try to move forward:
Awareness.
Acceptance.
Courage.
Forgiveness.
Healing.
Growth.
Hope.
The path isn’t designed to tell someone what their journey should look like.
It is designed to give them room to discover it for themselves.
Because I don’t believe healing can be forced.
And I don’t believe anyone else can walk your path for you.
But sometimes someone can build the path.
Someone can leave a light on.
Someone can put a bench beneath a tree.
Someone can create a place where you finally feel safe enough to stop running for a moment.
Why West Virginia?
The Remembering Path belongs in West Virginia.
This is home.
There is something about these mountains that makes you slow down and listen. The hills, the hollows, the rivers, the old farms, the communities, and the people all carry stories.
West Virginia has known hardship.
It has also known resilience.
There are generations of stories here—families who stayed, families who left, people who worked underground, people who built communities, people who lost loved ones, and people who kept going anyway.
I want the Remembering Path to become part of that story.
Not just a place people visit.
A place people remember.
The Bigger Vision
The Remembering Path isn’t only about building something on the ground.
It is about creating an experience that can travel far beyond West Virginia.
The book tells the story.
The physical path gives people a place to experience it.
The website gives the idea a home.
Music creates another language for the emotions that words sometimes cannot express.
Short films, Reels, photographs, and stories can introduce the idea to people who may never have heard of it.
And someday, the vision could grow into retreats, community programs, therapeutic partnerships, educational experiences, memorial spaces, creative projects, and places where people can come together to share their stories.
There could be a place for someone’s letter.
A name engraved in memory.
A lantern dedicated to someone who is gone.
A bench where a family can sit together.
A journal where strangers leave words for people they will never meet.
A campfire where someone writes down something they’ve been carrying and finally lets it go.
And perhaps somewhere along the path, someone will realize something simple:
They are still here.
And if they are still here, there is still another step they can take.
What I Hope People Find
I don’t expect the Remembering Path to fix anyone.
That’s not its purpose.
I don’t have all the answers.
I don’t think anyone does.
What I hope to create is a place where people can ask better questions.
Where someone can come carrying a lifetime of memories and leave carrying a little less weight.
Where someone who feels lost can discover that being lost isn’t necessarily the end of the journey.
Sometimes it’s where the next chapter begins.
The Remembering Path is ultimately about remembering.
Remembering where we’ve been.
Remembering who helped us.
Remembering the people we’ve lost.
Remembering the mistakes that taught us.
Remembering the strength we didn’t know we had.
And remembering that our story isn’t finished simply because one chapter was difficult.
Why I Built It
I think I’ve spent much of my life looking for the path myself.
And somewhere along the way, I realized that maybe I wasn’t supposed to find a perfect path.
Maybe I was supposed to help build one.
So that’s what I’m doing.
One idea.
One story.
One song.
One stone.
One tree.
One memory.
One step at a time.
If you found your way to this website, maybe you have a story too.
Maybe you’re carrying something.
Maybe you’re remembering someone.
Maybe you’re trying to forgive yourself.
Maybe you’re standing at the beginning of something you don’t understand yet.
Or maybe you simply need somewhere quiet to breathe.
Whatever brought you here, you’re welcome.
There is no perfect way to walk the Remembering Path.
There is only your way.
So take your time.
Look around.
Remember.
Breathe.
And when you’re ready...
take the next step.
— Greg Jenkins
About the author — the full biography, kept with the books
