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Christmas Joy

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…and it’s often the loneliest.

…When two cups of hot coffee on a Christmas morning turns into one…

…When there is one less name on the presents under the tree…

…When the shadows of Christmas past dim the light of Christmas present…

…When there is one less place setting around the table…

…When there is only one name signed at the bottom of the card where there used to be two…

For those who have lost a loved one, the joy and peace wished on the sentiments of the Christmas cards may be hard to come by.

No one’s life is untouched by sorrow, and we all handle the holidays differently. But there is one thing that remains the same:

God is the God of Hope. He is the Light of the World. His Presence offers us Peace.

He can understand what we are going through because he experienced death and loss as well.

The baby who was born in the manger to be raised up as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. For three days, the earth mourned the loss of our Savior, until the dawning of the day of Resurrection.

God can breathe new life into our lonely places. We can find something to smile about in our cherished memories or the innocent laughter of a child.

In 2012, two years after my husband’s passing, I found something to be joyful about during the holiday season. This post came up on my Facebook memories so I thought I would share it here.

I hope it brings a smile to your face and offers you a measure of hope. There is joy after heartache. And there is joy in the midst of heartbreak. God does that for us when we lean on Him.

Christmas Joy

(Written in 2012)

So, I was feeling sorry for myself tonight. Losing Pat, facing the holidays without him. Looking around and trying to clear out the clutter so I could put up the tree and decorations. Then I got a call that I had won a door prize from a holiday open house. A set of wine glasses. For those of you who know me, that is something of a joke. I’ve never drank wine, or any alcohol, and have never served it in my home. My kids thought it was pretty cool, so I went and picked up the glasses. After I got home, I found a necklace in the box with another person’s name tag on it, someone else who had won the necklace in a door prize. Even though it was dark and I don’t like driving in the dark, I decided to take the necklace back to the person who gave me my glasses, and she thanked me for it. I was still feeling a little down, so I drove the long way around and went towards town. I listened to music, sang along with Silent Night, and tears streamed down my face. Sometimes the loss is overwhelming. I turned the cornerand saw some beautiful Christmas lights on houses, and that lifted my spirits. The town was lit up with lights. I had a coupon for a free McCafe drink, so I went through the drive thru and bought something for the kids, and picked up my free mocha. There were still tears on the way home, and I just let them fall. I sang whatever songs came to mind, mostly old hymns and some Spanish choruses. Somehow I started to sing the chorus of We Three Kings (Star of Wonder, Star of Night). And I remembered how my sisters and I would sit at the piano in the basement while Becky played the song, and we each sang our verse. My verse was Frankinsence (Probably spelled that wrong.) It was a happy memory, and it made me laugh. I thought how true it is that God can turn our sorrow into joy. He showed me that as I drove in a circle tonight, taking the necklace back, going through town and coming home. He gave me something to laugh about, and a feeling of joy to break up the gloom. God is so good.

Friday Feature: Snowbound in Winterberry Falls

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Today’s Featured Book:

About the Book:

Owning her own PR firm is all reporter Stephanie Clark wants for Christmas, but the idea of running a prestigious election campaign in the country’s capital throws her stomach into knots. A last minute vacation road trip to focus and seek God’s direction for her life ends up in disaster when she gets caught in the worst snowstorm to hit Vermont in over a decade, crashing her into a small town and the one person she’d rather forget. 

Former photojournalist Jason Miller hadn’t planned on being solely responsible for saving his family business from financial ruin. He’s barely keeping the newspaper in print, his News Editor has gone AWOL during the town’s most celebrated holiday festival, and reports of missing Christmas decorations have everyone on edge.  

When a desperate knock at the newsroom door brings a ghost from Christmas past back into his life, can Jason make up for his prior behavior without breaking his promise to Stephanie’s father? Will Stephanie’s quest to solve the town’s Christmas caper—and uncover the truth about Jason’s disappearance—cost her everything she’s ever wanted?  

Excerpt from Snowbound in Winterberry Falls:

The man was insufferable.

This was the last time Jason Miller would ever use her for a story. She was done with him and done with this crummy place. She had a life in Washington and all she had to do was get there. Somehow.

“I’m sorry about your car, but I can…”

“Save it, Jason.” Her tone trembled with fury and she glared at him. “If you had really wanted to help me, you wouldn’t have forgotten to tell me I was stuck here in Santa Land indefinitely.” She shouldered her way past him and stomped away, her boots clopping across the sidewalk, kicking up sand behind her.

“Steph, don’t—” His voice was lost behind her as she picked up the pace.

Her eyes burned with tears and her vision blurred. She took longer strides, no speed was fast enough to escape.

Jason’s voice called out behind her, propelling her down the street. “Steph!”

Stephanie heard his shout before she felt the ground slide beneath her.

And then her world went black.

About the Author:

ANN BRODEUR is an award-winning novelist who writes inspirational and contemporary romances offering sweet hope and happy endings.

When she’s not reading, writing, chasing after her kids or enjoying long chats with her husband, Ann can be found drinking coffee. That’s been reheated several times throughout the day. She aspires to drink a hot beverage in one sitting.

Ebook Canada: https://amzn.to/3529fZe 

Ebook US: https://amzn.to/3p48B5y

Paperback: https://bit.ly/36aKN7h

Dog Tails: Mr. Pickles and Miss Penny

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

I’ve asked my niece, Sara, to share the story of her two adopted rescues in today’s Dog Tails.

It was March of 2017 when Micah and I decided to take a look to our local Humane Society. It only took us one trip to find Mr. Pickles, inappropriately named JD at the time, and we had him home within the week.

Mr. Pickles

While we quickly realized that Pickles was going to be a sweet, cuddly companion, it took us just as little time to realize he had some issues socializing with other dogs. After many failed training attempts, we weren’t sure that our otherwise incredibly sweet boy would ever be able to have four-legged friends.

We spoiled him often for the next two years, buying him as many “indestructible” toys as he could destroy, accomodating to his expensive taste in kibble, and feeding him plenty of table scraps. We learned his expressive personality well, including his tendancy to dig through any trash you leave accessible, his habit of wailing at you when he wants your food, and his need to sleep RIGHT next to you – usually what one would consider too close, but for Pickles there is no such boundary.

It really seemed we had found the perfect dog, besides his aggression towards other dogs. While the aggression simmered down slightly in the years we had him, there was no significant improvement that would lead you to think Pickles could ever visit a dog park, let alone live in multi-dog household.

So, what did we do?

In March of 2019, we went to the same Humane Society we had rescued our boy from, and we adopted another dog. Surprisingly, after a couple of moody weeks, we had two dogs that were best friends!

The new challenge?

Miss Penny, named Poppy at the shelter, was infested with demodectic (non-contagious) mange.

Yes, instead of the pretty little girl she has grown up to be, she was covered in oozing wounds and flaky scabs when we found her. No amount of anti-fungal baths and other products could take away the stench of her infected skin, and the infestation made her incredibly swollen and lethargic.

While we had felt so compelled to help and heartbroken when we saw Penny at the shelter, we quickly realized we had taken on a much bigger responsibility than we had expected. Penny still has skin issues, despite the large amount of vet visits and failed products that we’ve tried, but she has managed to grow a lot of her hair back. We just recently found a medication that seems to be working as a long-term solution, but the progress is slow.

Miss Penny

Despite her health issues, Penny has blossomed into a fun-loving, energetic menace of a dog. She loves to play with her stuffy toys, cuddle her stuffy toys, and she has a bad habit of eating both bowls of food if Pickles is running behind.

She has so much more life than we could have ever imagined when we first brought her home.

Today, Mr. Pickles and Miss Penny are weirdly inseparable, and we are incredibly grateful for both of our four-legged family members.

Friday Feature: Christmas Novellas

/ Carol Underhill / 1 Comment

Today I’m featuring author Katy Eeten’s three Christmas novellas. They are unrelated to each other, but each is a heartwarming holiday story. You can find out more about the books in the details below:

Wrong Turn Christmas (Anaiah Press 2021)

April is desperate to eliminate her dad’s cancer bills so her family can enjoy the holidays. But, on her way to get legal assistance, she ends up at the wrong house. There, she finds a warm and caring soul… but a boyfriend won’t solve her family’s financial issues.

Jake is surprised to find a beautiful woman on his doorstep asking for help. It’s a case of mistaken identity, but after spending just a little time with April, he knows they are perfect for each other—even if she does have bad taste in football teams. Except April is facing an uphill battle, and he believes he has nothing of real value to offer. Or does he?

One wrong turn might just end up turning a Christmas crisis into a Christmas miracle.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Turn-Christmas-Anaiah-Romance-ebook/dp/B09L4J3PDZ/

First Class Christmas (Pelican Book Group, 2020)

When Mandy Brockman flies home from her friend’s destination wedding, her heart is on empty at the thought of spending Christmas alone. It doesn’t help that her ex is on the plane, seemingly unaffected by their breakup. But the kind-hearted man seated next to her seems to have it all together—and he’s handsome to boot. She knows her emotional healing won’t come in the form of another guy, but will the source of this man’s peace and joy help Mandy find the Christmas she’s looking for?

CJ Hawkins is captivated by the beautiful, feisty woman he meets on his flight. The only thing is, she’s fresh out of a relationship, and he has no interest in being anyone’s rebound. But the more he learns about Mandy, the more he’s drawn to her unique mixture of compassion and spunk.

Can he figure out how to make their relationship take off before this First Class Christmas is grounded forever?

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/First-Class-Christmas-Holiday-Extravaganza-ebook/dp/B08KSJHMW4/

Christmas In Meadow Creek (Anaiah Press, 2018)

Sarah Laughlin left her big-city life and dead-end relationship behind for a fresh start as a fourth-grade teacher in the small, Wisconsin town of Meadow Creek. And it feels like home, too, despite the persistent troublemaker in her class and the lack of familiar faces. But the holidays are going to be lonely this year. Until she meets firefighter Lincoln Thompson. Suddenly, the hope of spending Christmas with someone she cares about is within reach.

Lincoln loves his home town of Meadow Creek, but ever since his long-time girlfriend left him for a better life in the city, he wonders if he’ll ever find love in this small town where everyone knows everyone. Then he meets Sarah during her class’s field trip to his firehouse, and a spark is lit. But when they discover that Sarah’s troublemaking student is none other than Lincoln’s beloved nephew, their newfound relationship is put to the test. Can they navigate through the complexities of family dynamics to find a love that will last?

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Meadow-Anaiah-Romance-Novella/dp/1947327305/