‘Shepherding Outdoors’

Walt Merrell shares stories of fatherhood in book series

MMany people across Covington County know Walt Merrell as the district attorney, but he is also an author with three books under his belt, including his latest that was released in July.

Merrell’s books are each part of an ongoing series, “Shepherding Outdoors,” and are filled with stories about connecting with his three daughters — Bay, Cape, and Banks — in the digital age and overcoming the challenges facing today’s parents. His latest title, “Shepherding Outdoors: Three Dog Days,” continues Merrell’s stories about his outdoor adventures with his daughters and the memories and bonds they have created along the way.

The series of books began when Merrell was facing health issues and the realization that he might not always be around for his family. He found that writing messages and memories was one way for him to cope with the situation and to organize his thoughts in a way that could be shared with his daughters.

“In 2015, a tumor was found behind my eye and I was diagnosed with terminal sarcoma. I was told I had two years to live. At that time, I started writing everything down that I wanted my girls to know, including writing many of the memories I have of the things we had done together. Writing became a part of my life at that point,” Merrell said.

Over the next few years, Merrell underwent rigorous treatments and surgeries, ultimately traveling to Emory Hospital to have the tumor removed. Once removed, it was determined the tumor was not cancerous. “To me, it was a miracle,” Merrell said.

While that health scare was behind him, his habit of writing only grew and he began thinking about what he would do with the many stories he had compiled for his daughters.

“The stories sat dormant for a few years, but I just kept thinking that surely there was a purpose for it all,” Merrell said.

Having been involved in men’s ministries for a number of years, Merrell moved to family ministry and decided to focus his writing efforts along those lines as a way of helping families connect at a time when children’s lives are filled with outside distractions and parents’ voices are often muffled. He found the outdoors to be the best place to quiet the noise and grow stronger bonds with his children.

“Shepherding Outdoors isn’t just the name of the books, but part of a ministry. The name is exactly what it says. As parents, especially as fathers, we are shepherds of our flocks. Because I have three girls, I sometimes found it hard to relate to them as their father. I did a lot of praying and soul searching about how I could become more relevant in their lives. I finally realized being outside is a great common denominator.”

With a large body of work compiled over the course of several years, Merrell decided to share them with the hope of helping other families experiencing the same dilemmas.

“As parents we are always competing with technology for their children’s attention. I felt like I was losing relevance, but that is where the outdoors came into play,” he said.

His books tell the stories about Merrell’s outdoor adventures with his family and the lessons they learn along the way. Through these outdoor excursions, the Merrells learn together valuable lessons about family, religion, and nature. All the while building lasting memories and stronger connections to one another.

While the Merrells’ outdoor adventures have taken them to many locations, he is quick to point out that some of the best memories have been made within a short drive from their home. “If you ever been to Open Pond, you know there is no cell service. I always joke that Taylor Swift doesn’t go camping with us … because where we go has no cell service. It takes the competition and distractions out of the picture,” he said.

He also confesses that specific experience isn’t always a requirement.

“The first time I took my girls kayaking, I had never been in a kayak before. We turned over and dumped everything out into the river. At the moment I was embarrassed and felt stupid. I did that with my daughter, Bay, and to this day she talks about that trip with great fondness. I try to remind dads that our children don’t know that we’re not experts, they just know we are investing in them and making memories,” Merrell said.

Those mistakes are all a part of the process and perfection is not a requirement when it comes to being a parent.

“One of our bigger trips was paddling the Buffalo River in Arkansas. It was a weeklong trip and we camped every night. There were thunderstorms, hail and all sorts of things to deal with, but my daughter loved it. I had no clue what I was doing, but it was just the two of us and she loved it.

“I hope that somebody reads my book and says, ‘if that guy can do it, I know I can.’ I write a lot about the mistakes I made and the things I was scared to do, but that I did anyway, and it turned out OK. I hope that the people — dads especially — can see that sometimes we’re not perfect and we mess up, but that things have a way of turning out OK,” he said.

His role as a district attorney also led Merrell to share his stories about family. As a district attorney, he sees firsthand the result of children who lack parental guidance and involvement.

“I always tell people that my job is dealing with the consequences of what happens when fathers disengage from their families. Most of the time, I can take a crime that I am prosecuting and I can track it back to a father who was absent. Maybe the father was in prison, hooked on drugs … there are any number of reasons. People ask me what I would do to fix crime in America and my answer is always the same, restore the two-parent home. I’m not critical of the single-parent, who are unsung heroes in our communities, nor am I being critical of the father who has divorced and sees his children only on a limited number of occasions. What I am critical of are the fathers who have no interest in their children.”

The original printings of Merrell’s first two books, “Shepherding Outdoors” and “Shepherding Outdoors Vol. 2: More Short Stories from a Southern Father,” are both sold out with plans for a possible second printing in the near future. The new book, “Shepherding Outdoors: Three Dog Days” references Merrell’s three daughters with a tie-in to the dog days of summer.

“During those dog days, if you have a dog and live on a dirt drive, the dog is going to go out there and wallow a hole in the driveway because the dirt is cool. They will lay in it and even if you have to go to work, the dog isn’t going to move. Parenting can be the same way. We find a comfortable spot and we don’t want to get out of it no matter what. I see a lot of people do this today. They don’t want to disrupt the apple cart. As a district attorney, I can tell you that one of the worse things we can do is become our children’s friend instead of a parent. Sometimes we have to get out of that comfortable hole and try something different.”

While the new book tells many stories of his family’s recent adventures, Merrell said he also shares stories from his own past.

“There are stories from my childhood as it relates to my parents’ divorce. I wanted my children to understand how my parents’ divorce affected me. It was devastating to me as a child and I put some of those stories in there. You never know, somebody might read it and decide to give their marriage another try. Really, the whole book is about ‘trying’ as parents. Even when we don’t succeed, we have to keep trying,” he said.

Never considering himself a writer, he learned to appreciate it during his illness and is now part of his regular routine.

“Writing is a craft and I’ve found the more I do it the more I enjoy it. I have to be careful about balancing my work and family life with my hobby. I get up at 4 a.m. and write for about two hours. I may not always enjoy the process, but I do like the end product. It is amazing, if you write for two hours a day, that’s about 2,000 words. About 50 percent of it may be junk, but you still wrote a lot and over the course of about weeks you have a novel. It’s certainly something I plan to continue doing,” Merrell said.

As for his three daughters, they enjoy their father’s stories.

“Cape laughs and says ‘I lived it, why would I want to read it?,” Merrell said. “Bay has read them and has suggested that I write my stories and then allow them to write versions based on their own memories. I think it is a great idea. As parents we sometimes think the way we perceive something is surely how our children perceives it, but that’s not the case,” he said.

The “Shepherding Outdoors” books are available through Hoffman Media and can be ordered at shepherdingbook.com or by calling 1-800-361-8059. Merrell also shares stories to his Shepherding Outdoors Facebook page.

“To a casual reader, they are heart-warming, positive stories about faith and family. Behind it all there are messages about the importance of being a father, being engaged as a father, and teaching your children about life,” he said.

Merrell is married to Hannah Merrell and their three daughters are Bay, 20; Cape, 17; and Banks, 13. n