Some books are written because they’re planned.
This one was written because it wouldn’t leave me alone.
The phrase that sparked it is simple. My mother still says it often: “One road leads to another.” It has become so ingrained in me that sometimes I hear it come out of my own mouth before I even realize I’ve said it.
For years, it felt like a family quirk. A lighthearted saying. A nod to life’s winding path.
But somewhere along the way—as a counselor, as an educator, as a mother and grandmother—I began to understand that those words carry weight.
When I say them now, it feels as though my ancestors and the community members who walked these roads before me are cheering me on. It feels as though they are offering insight they didn’t always get to share. It feels like an urging: Tell the whole story.
I come from a long line of hardworking, caring educators. And I have felt the deep frustration of knowing that our full history—the complicated, diverse, and beautiful fabric of it—is not always taught in our classrooms or spoken aloud in our town squares.
Too many threads have been left out.
And when threads are missing, people feel invisible.
I wrote One Road Leads to Another for my grandsons, Myles and Moses. But I also wrote it for every child who has ever felt unseen. I wrote it for the children who sit in classrooms and don’t see themselves reflected in the stories they are taught.
And I wrote it for communities—including my own—that have sometimes remained silent or complicit in the face of “how things have always been.”
This book is my way of breaking that silence.
It is not about blame. It is about visibility.
It is an invitation to look at our shared history with clear eyes. To acknowledge the hard roads—segregation, injustice, silence. To celebrate the courageous ones who stood up anyway. And to remember that our worth and our light are woven into every mile we travel together.
Family storytelling is not nostalgia. It is preservation. It is resistance against forgetting. It is how we pass down resilience, faith, and identity so the next generation doesn’t have to start from scratch.
When I say “one road leads to another” now, I hear something more.
I hear hope.
Because every generation gets the chance to choose the next road.
And I believe we can choose one that honors the full story.
About The Book
Every Sunday, four generations of women—The Seer, The Driver, The Note-Taker, and The Little Listener—set out to uncover the hidden heartbeat of their town. From peach orchards to the Catawba River and Belmont Abbey, the road becomes a pathway to the past.
Along the way, the Little Listener discovers stories of courage, faith, resilience, and overlooked voices—from African American builders to the wisdom of the Catawba Nation.
Through floods, old mills, and even flight lessons, the Little Listener learns she comes from a line of giants. Most importantly, she discovers that family storytelling is more than tradition—it is how history is preserved, wisdom is carried forward, and identity is shaped. And one day, she will take the wheel herself, passing hope and truth to the next generation of Little Listeners.
This middle-reader children’s book is available on Amazon and contains Teacher Resources designed for the classroom.
About The Author (Me!)
Melissa Shepherd McDaniel, M.Ed., LCMHC, NCC
Melissa Shepherd McDaniel is a National Certified Counselor, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, life coach, author, and speaker with over 20 years of experience. She began her career working with survivors of sexual assault and later expanded her practice to include individuals seeking accountability and behavioral transformation.
At Shepherd Way Counseling, she supports clients navigating trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, and life transitions.
Melissa is the author of the memoir Loved Just As I Am and the children’s book One Road Leads to Another: The Heartfelt Drive, weaving themes of faith, healing, love, resilience, legacy, and identity throughout her work.
