"Don't forget to take care of you!"

Country music legend Patty Loveless is known for her big voice and heartfelt style. But after her husband began battling health issues in the early 2000s, Patty put her career to the side to become his caretaker-and life as she knew it changed forever. Here, how faith, family and a little bit of fresh air keep her joyful

- Deborah Evans Price

When one hears the expression "salt of the earth," it's hard not to imagine country music star Patty Loveless. Though the Grammy-winning vocalist commands country music's most prestigious stages-as she did last year singing "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" with Chris Stapleton at the CMA Awards Patty is still a country girl at heart.

"I like being outdoors," Patty shares with Woman's World a passion born during her childhood in Kentucky, along with her love for music.

Her pure country voice catapulted her to stardom-but in recent years, Patty has taken time away from the spotlight to care for her husband, Emory Gordy Jr., as he's battled health challenges.

"There have been a couple of times that I thought I was going to lose him," Patty shares of her Grammy-winning husband, who produced records for her, The Bellamy Brothers, Alabama and Vince Gill. "I'm so thankful he's still with me."

To stay close to Emory, Patty retired from touring in 2010, except for occasional one-off concerts, which always thrill her fans and remind her of a maxim Dolly Parton lives by: "She once quipped that the secret of her marriage is to 'just stay gone."" says Patty. "There's something to that, though. If you get away for a while, then you come to appreciate what you have even more!" 

Here, how Patty keeps a peaceful heart, no matter what life throws her way.

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