Very early in my life I learned to love the stories I heard on my grandmother's screen porch. Soon after, an intense love affair with Black Beauty taught me the power of stories to transform and transport. All my life, when someone says, "Let me tell you a story," I have known I will soon learn more about that person than the most thorough recounting of historic detail could ever reveal"€"and I will have more fun on the way. I offer you these stories"€"about what growing up meant to four different generations; about neighbors, horses, prejudice, sweethearts, students; about moving, marriage, grandchildren and dogs. I hope they remind you of your own stories. I wish I could hear them.