I hardly know where to begin. This is a beautiful story of a loving family and a very special community. It is a story of a woman who finds her truest self.

Carolyn Jourdan was a high profile attorney who worked on Capitol Hill. She drove a Mercedes, and had a high profile circle of friends. She knew all of the important people, and they knew her.

A family emergency sent her back to the hills of Tennessee, for a few days. It wasn't easy. She missed her place in DC from almost the first moment she was away. Her best friend was there. Her life and work were there. She was somebody there...or was she.

As the days and then weeks passed, far longer than she had expected or planned, Carolyn began to see things just a little differently. She had always wanted to help others, but had seen it more as a grand scheme. Helping many at one time. Making a difference . But is is more important to make a difference to many people at one time than it is to do so one by one. That was a conundrum she had trouble solving.

I loved each and every one of the people I met in this book. There were tears in my eyes more than once. A story filled with compassion, love and faith that will have a firm place on my small self of books that are to be read again and again. ( )

Carolyn Jourdan's amusing but poignant spiritual journey into what is really most important in life does not disappoint. Jourdan comes back home to rural Tennessee from her prestigious job in Washington, DC to help her father, a doctor, while her mother, his receptionist, recuperates from an illness. Her descriptions of the parade of eccentric but lovable characters through her father's small country medical practice leave the reader completely absorbed into the story and wanting more. By the end of the story a realization sets in--success is not measured by fame, money, or location of residence--but by the small, although significant, differences for the better we make in other's lives. ( )

Heart In The Right Place reaches out and touches the core of the reader. An emotional journey that inspires you to evaluate what is truly important in life and your place in it.

The story opens as Carolyn, the accomplished, independently successful attorney receives a phone call from her father…her mother is being treated for an apparent heart attack in the local emergency room. She immediately packed a quick bag, jumped into her expensive Mercedes and traveled the 500 miles from D.C. to her family’s hometown in East Tennessee. Her father was a wonderful family doctor and her mom had worked by his side, officially as the receptionist, but more a Jill-of-all-trades, for as far back as she could remember. Now, Carolyn would have to fill-in for her Mom for a “few days.” Thinking she would be back in D.C. before Monday morning, Carolyn resigned herself to a couple of days of answering phones and whatever else, and then she would get back to the real world where she could make a difference. However, a few days turn to a few weeks and that quickly fades into a few months and the question that plagues the reader, was obviously wreaking havoc on Carolyn’s mind as well–will she return to D.C. or stay in East Tennessee?

At first she was completely out of her element, feeling inadequate and ineffective. She had always believed that by being an attorney she could make a difference, on the national level, which in turn would help large numbers of people. Now, after months of being immersed in this simple, country community, interacting with the patients on a personal level, she began to see her parents selfless devotion to these people in a new light.

Far from the hustle and bustle of high powered politicians and law makers, is where you find the folks who are making a difference, every day…changing the world with one selfless act of kindness at a time. Carolyn Jourdan’s memoir is an honest look into the heart of a young woman that discovers she is and has always been, her parents daughter. Chock-full of sweet southern charm, quaint characters that will have you laughing out loud one minute and reaching for a tissue the next, this is a wonderful story. Delightful, insightful and inspirational, Heart In The Right Place is a beautifully written novel that challenges us to rethink our goals, values and perceptions. Life is unpredictable and it’s human nature to search for your purpose and to want to make a difference, which is very personal and quite difficult. And yet, Carolyn Jourdan shares her intimate journey through the tough questions, self-doubt and ultimately the choice to make sweeping changes in her life. A world away from the high-powered, black-tie gatherings where wheeling and dealing is the name of the game, she found her calling in a country doctor’s small office.

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind memoir, Jourdan’s words will stay with you long after the book has been snugly tucked away on the shelf. ( )

1.08 ( )

Quirky and poignant by turns, the story of Ms. Jourdan's return to help her family and her coming to understand just how important what her dad does is worth reading. It doesn't hit you over the head, but in the end there is admiration for the sacrifice she makes and what she gets in turn ( )