Getting a Very Special Christmas Present by Jo Ann Brown

When you were a kid after Christmas, did you get together with friends to share what was received as gifts? We’d ooh and aah over everyone else’s gifts, as excited as if they were our own. In a way they were, because we knew in the year to come, we’d be playing with our friends’ toys, too. Because we lived in northern New York where the snow could stay until deep into April, gifts like bicycles and skates offered us delayed pleasure. That was okay because while we waited to ride them outside (some of my friends had cellars big enough to ride inside), we put our sleds and ice skates to good use.
Over the years, my two younger sisters and I had a tradition of going through our toys in October and picking out some of the better, but seldom played with toys to donate the town clerk who would see they got to children who would love them, We sewed new clothes for the dolls or even whole wardrobes, so the dolls were even better than new. Stuffed toys were spiffed up with fresh ribbons and maybe even an outfit or two of their own. We knit scarves for everything from Barbie to teddy bears in vivid shades of whatever yarn we’d collected from my mother’s friends.
It was the way my parents taught us about sharing with those kids who might not otherwise have gotten a nice toy for Christmas and knowing that the giving brought as much joy as the getting.
Years passed, and I continued the tradition with my young children. They picked out the toys to donate, and I fixed the toys up so they looked like new. In addition, I began knitting personalized Christmas stockings for everyone in the family, our immediate family, parents, in-laws, nieces and nephews.

My older daughter was five and my son was two when my husband I decided that our family wasn’t complete. Our son had been born in Korea and came to us when he was 11 months old, but this time we applied for an older child, knowing there was a narrow window between our children’s ages and how agencies didn’t like to disrupt the family order for the oldest child already in the family. We filled out the paperwork and waited and waited for the good news. As we’d specifically asked for a girl, I knit our future daughter a stocking with her name on it. We were all set for her.
Sure enough we got our best-ever early Christmas present the Monday after Thanksgiving when our social worker called with news on a little girl who’d been matched to us. She was 18 months old. In her photo, she looked too serious for such a young child, but we discovered she was already in our hearts and we couldn’t get her home.
We put everything on warp speed in hopes of getting her home in time for Christmas, but it didn’t happen. It seems as if no baby, even our Savior, has come when it’s convenient. We hung her stocking and said, “She’ll be here to open her gifts with us next Christmas.” She did, in fact, come home the day after Valentine’s Day after all the hoops were jumped through.
Now fast forward to 2001 and our younger daughter was participating in the college program at Disney World.

That year, we knew she wouldn’t be home for Christmas, because her session ended on January 8. We didn’t want to lose another Christmas with her. Going to Florida wasn’t possible, so what to do? Her sister, her brother, my husband and I discussed it, and we decided to postpone the Christmas gift portion of the holiday until she came home. I was proud of my kids to be willing to put off the fun of exchanging the gifts they’d picked out for each other, and I believe they’d learned about what was truly important in gift-giving from that old tradition of sharing with others.
We set up the tree, hung the stockings and made the cookies as we always did. My husband read “A Visit from St. Nick” on Christmas Eve as he always did, but that year he read it over the phone so our youngest and her five homesick roommates (and apparently a suite full of other kids longing to be home) could hear. We enjoyed the events at church and with extended family and neighbors, but the gifts waited under the tree unwrapped. Our kids couldn’t participate in the “what did you get?” conversations...Not yet!
On January 9, our daughter arrived home. The first thing we did after she got in the house was share the gifts we’d gotten for each other. It was all the sweeter for waiting, and we laughed and laughed about being the last people in neighborhood to open gifts. But the best gift again was having the whole family together again.
Being together as a family is a theme throughout my Amish Hearts series. The final book in the series, An Amish Arrangement, is coming out today (January 1 as an ebook).

The heroine, Mercy, knows all about the different ways of building families because she’s both an adoptee and an adoptive parent. She and the hero, Jeremiah Stoltzfus, must learn, too, that sometimes things happen on their own schedule and all we can do is have faith that God will make everything come out for the best in the end.
Have a merry Christmas with the ones you love and enjoy the special traditions you’ve built through the years!

We're Sorry. We Have to Interrupt This Blog.... by Jo Ann Brown

I had just sat down at the computer here in Florida, getting ready to start my blog post, when my husband's phone beeped to announce an incoming a text. Who was contacting him on a late Sunday afternoon?
It was the security system at the house we're selling Las Vegas. But we've already got a deal on the house, and the folks buying it always contact us if they're going to come over. So who was there? The security company called a minute later, and we told them that nobody should be in the house. Now, they let us know, someone has hit the medical emergency button as well. Do we need an ambulance as well as the police? We suggest they send just a Metro police patrol over to check out what's going on. We alert the new owners, just to check with them that they hadn't gone into the house, as well as our realtor. Five long minutes later, with lots of prayers that nothing was wrong at the house and nobody had broken in, we hear back from our realtor. Another realtor had come into the house by mistake. The house next door to ours is also for sale, but they don't have a sign in their yard, so when the realtor pulled onto our street, she went to our door. Now the houses don't look alike and the numbers are obviously different, so she was embarrassed. Once we knew what was going on, we just laughed. And laughed harder when our buyers asked if the potential buyers next door had kids because they're eager for playmates for their little ones.
Why am I sharing this? Because readers often ask me where I get ideas for my stories. Here's a good example. One of those that's listed under the heading of "I couldn't make this stuff up." Will the events go into one of my upcoming books? The chances are really good, though there will be enough changes made that nobody involved will recognize themselves. Most of my books have some aspect of something that's happened to me or my family in them.
For example, in A Ready-Made Amish Family, my fifth Amish Hearts book, out this month from Harlequin Love Inspired,

two of the children in the story have health challenges. They were inspired by issues my two daughters faced as young children, and my characters had the same questions and the same experiences that we did. It gives the story an air of authenticity as well as allowing me to know all the parade of emotions my hero and heroine would be feeling.
So when I get interrupted when I'm working, I always hope the interruption will provide fodder for my next story. Right now, I'm being interrupted again... This time by a sound of something out in the leaves under the bushes at the front of the house. Is it just a squirrel? Could it be a snake (and I have to confess that I find snakes fascinating)? Perhaps a lizard? No matter what it is, it'll be interesting...and who knows what ideas it will spark?

Celebrate Son and Daughter Day

According to checkiday,com, today is Son and Daughter Day, a day to spend with your son or daughter. No presents, please. It's not a day of gift giving--except for the gift of time.

I don't have particular plans with my son or daughter today. But my son and I volunteered together at our church's semiannual book sale this past weekend. And my daughter, granddaughter, and I plan to go shopping together--something we haven't done in a long time--at Lee Premium Outlets this Saturday.

I'm fortunate to have both of my children (and grandchildren) close by. Do you have plans with your children this week?
 
Josh Donnelly, the hero of my August Love Inspired Romance doesn't have many fond memories of doing things with his alcoholic father. And when Dad returns out of the blue seven years after abandoning his family, Josh isn't keen on creating any new memories with him.
 
by Jean C. Gordon
FALLING FOR THE BACHELOR
Tessa Hamilton never imagined the hardest part of having her best friend help renovate her small-town movie theater would be keeping her heart safe. She can't fall for a man who has no interest in a serious relationship with any woman…and who doesn't know the secret she hides. Besides, Josh Donnelly is too eager to leave Paradox Lake—especially when his estranged father returns. Tessa struggles with the turmoil, but as she falls deeper for the bachelor, she knows she must be honest if there's any chance for them. But will telling Josh put everything at risk—including their friendship?

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The Girl in the Photo

 By Carolyn Greene

The little girl in the photo smiled back at me, her face familiar but very different than the way I remembered her from my childhood.

I was hard on her back then.  Told her she was skinny and ugly and blind as a bat.  Criticized her for daydreaming when she should have been paying attention.  And curled a lip at the ever-present patches of excema between her fingers and behind her ears.   “That’s disgusting,” I said.  She quietly agreed and hid her hands behind her back.  Sometimes I caught her praying to God to fix her.  Make her better than the horribly flawed person I told her she was.

She should have been more like her older brother, I decided.  Confident, funny, and always ready with a quick reply.  Sure, she had a sense of humor, but her one-liners always came long after the window of comic opportunity had closed.  As for confidence, the only thing she was sure about was which book she wanted to read next.  She would lose herself in stories for hours at a time, imagining herself to be as clever, attractive, and brave as the characters she read about.  I rolled my eyes at her fantasies of taming wild stallions, solving mysteries, and attracting the attention of the cutest guy in class.

I don’t know why I was so mean to her.  If my mother had heard the terrible things I said to her, she most certainly would have set me straight.  “God doesn’t make junk,” Mom would have insisted.  But I was careful not to let anyone hear, so I never got the correction I needed.

Now, several decades later, I stared at the photo and saw for the first time what a cute, sweet kid she was.  And I felt horrible for leading her to believe otherwise.  She’s not as skinny as she once was, her skin has finally cleared up, and glasses have given her sharper focus.  She still daydreams and is sometimes slow to think of clever comebacks, but she’s finally turned those former handicaps to her advantage:   Her daydreams now produce plenty of fodder for the stories she writes, and the second draft is when she adds those late-but-clever comebacks.

She and I get along quite well these days.  That young girl – my former self – shaped who I am today, for which I am grateful.  And I’ve learned to be kinder to myself, which is a good thing, because God doesn’t make junk.

Carolyn Greene is the mother of two and grandmother of one.  She lives in Virginia with her husband and two miniature pinschers.  Carolyn writes romances for Harlequin Love Inspired and inspirational mysteries for Guideposts Books.  Her next Love Inspired novel, UNEXPECTED REUNION, is the first in the Southern Blessings series and is set for release in June 2014.

Ask Elnora--About Lent??? Lenora Worth

Easter is on the way. Elnora has always loved the Easter season. Maybe because Elnora's birthday is in April. And Elnora loves presents! I also love Palm Sunday. I love how at our church the children will walk in waving their palm branches. We all know that Easter brings the sadness of what Christ went through for us, but it also brings the grace and beauty and the meaning of what being a Christian is all about. We are going through Lent right now. Usually, Elnora gives up chocolate or ice cream for Lent, even shopping! But this year, I decided I'd try something different. I'd try not to speak as much. I know--you're all laughing at that one. It hasn't been easy, let me tell you. But I've tried to not speak so much in a bossy way. I'm trying very hard to give up being bossy. I'm letting go of control in a lot of areas. I think because I'm about to make an important life change when we move to our retirement condo later this year, I've learned to be still and know that God is in control. I don't raise my hand to be the first to volunteer as much as I used to. I don't feel that nagging need to be in charge, to go forth and steamroll my way into a project. I don't feel the need to be the first to speak up in a group or to remind others of what we need to be doing and when. I'm learning to do what I do as a writer--sit back and observe. It's been quite refreshing to do this. Amazing how silence can bring so many answers. I haven't always been successful at this task, this letting go, this being silent. Especially when I see so much injustice in the world and I wonder why the world has to be so cruel. But I have always been an Easter person. I have always believed in spring and renewal and hope. Christ gave me that hope. Lent is just part of the journey. Someone at church was talking about the children's moments and one of our pastors was asking about Lent. One of the children spoke up and said that was the stuff that comes out of the dryer. Everyone thought this was really funny and it is. But that kid might be onto something. Lint is mostly fibers and dust. And we know from our ashes that we are only dust, after all. We return to dust but our spirits return to God in Heaven. So that got me to wondering? What kind of lint have you found in your Lent? What have you let go, what have you cleaned out, what have you swept away? Children are shrewd in their innocence. Sometimes, it is the stuff that comes out of the dryer, sometimes it's the stuff that gets caught in that trap in our brains, that stuff that clouds our judgment and holds us down. Let's discuss--Can we let go of the lint in these last days of Lent??

God's Dreams for Us!

Patty here and I’m facing a problem that I’m sure most parents deal with some time or another. My twenty-year-old daughter plopped down in a chair in my office and asked the question everyone ask at one time or another:

“Mom, I don’t know what to do with the rest of my life.”

Such a profound question! And one I couldn’t answer until about ten years ago so if you’re one of those blessed few who knew exactly what you wanted to be with you grew up, this blog post isn’t for you.

You see, I was too ADD to make a career choice. The truth was you name it, I wanted to at least give it a try. In elementary school, I read every book I could find on the presidents because I was determined to occupy the Oval Office. But by the time sixth grade rolled around, I scratched public office off my list, instead taking a serious interest in writing romantic poetry and roller derby.

My middle school years were spent discovering the artist inside. While playing music wasn’t in the cards, I found my talent on the dance floor. So for the next five years, I twirled my way into the local dance company, spending six days a week at the studio and searching for colleges with good dance programs.

Did I tell you that I had ADD?

After college, I worked as a registered nurse for six years until I got a better job, that of a stay-at-home mom. When the girls started school, I put out magazines at Wal-mart, hung wallpaper for contractors, taught autistic kids and was named one of the top sales people in the country at both a well known candle shop and a office supply store.

My dad called me his Jackie of all trades.

So how did I end up on the Craftie Ladies of Romance? It was a total God thing as in God called me to write and I listened to Him. Where as most of my jobs lasted a couple of years or so, I've been writing for ten years now and I've never been happier. Isn't that just like God? In Jeremiah, He tells us that He knows the plans He has for us. Just like our earthly parents, God has big dreams for us!

And He has one for my darling girl as I’ve reminded her over and over again. So today, let’s talk about the dream God has laid on your heart for your life. I'd love to hear about your journey to find God's dream for your life.

Post-Justin Bieber Letdown

Missy, here. And my daughter is a huge Justin Bieber fan. So much so that when she heard about a pre-release showing of his new movie, Never Say Never, she begged me to get online the day the tickets went on sale to buy them. So right at 10 a.m. on a weekday a few months ago, I purchased us tickets to go see the movie 2 days before it officially released. In our package, we got special purple 3-D glasses and a badge to wear around our necks. Oh, and glow sticks. (Yes, picture me waving my glow stick as he sang!) :)

My daughter was thrilled when I got those tickets. We talked about it for the next two months or so. And on February 9th, we went to see the movie. Went waaay early to get good seats. Stood in line. Then finally went in to get ready for the show. And then after all that waiting...the movie started.

Oh. My. Gosh. The screaming girls nearly made my eardrums bleed. :) Especially the first time Justin reached out his hand, and in 3-D it looked as if he was reaching out to each one of them. It was a totally thrilling experience for my daughter. But on the way home, she gave a big sigh and said, "It's depressing when something you've looked so forward to is over."

I told her it's like that in life. I get in a bit of a funk after a big conference or retreat. Or after an event I've been really looking forward to. And as we're thinking a little this month on the blog about February being the month of love, and post Valentine's Day, I realized that some of us may be experiencing a bit of a holiday let down. (Some may have this worse after Christmas or a birthday.)

It's just something we have to deal with. And I'm wondering what each of you does to handle the letdown after a mountaintop experience.

P.S. The movie was really good!

One of those Ahh.., moments

Pat Davids, here.

I recently had one of those, Ahh...moments. You know what I mean. One of those tiny treats in life that brightens your day and makes you smile. A small blessing.

My treat came via e-mail. A woman wrote to tell me that her daughter was the cover model on my book, A Family for Thanksgiving. It was Gianna's first modeling job. I'm sure there will be many more. She's really cute, isn't she? The proud mom asked if they could get a copy autographed if they sent me one.

Well sure. Then I thought, wait a minute, I get advance copies. I'll sign them an mail them to her. She objected, wanted to pay for them.

Ha! Suck it up, honey, and take the free ones, I replied. I wasn't about to get paid for this treat. That would spoil it somehow. I asked for a list of name so I could personalize each. I wrote little notes to grandparent, aunt and uncles, and preschool teachers in the front of the books.

It was so cool. Just had to share. What was you latest Ahh.. moment?

Celebrating: Back to School!

Missy here. And before you think I'm one of those moms who throws a celebration the day school starts back, let me explain the title of my post. :)

I'm actually going to miss my kids when they start back to school on Monday! I always dread getting back into the school day routine. I miss having them home with me, too. No more spontaneous trips to see a movie or running to McDonald's if I don't feel like making lunch.

But I think a new school year is a time to celebrate. It means lots of of learning. Of meeting new friends. Of enjoying new teachers. And it's a fresh beginning.

I love fresh beginnings, don't you? When you're in school, you have a clean slate. A new chance to prove yourself. And for me at home, it's a chance to get back into my quiet writing routine. It means better focus, less interruptions.

So I'm celebrating change today. Sometimes it's not easy, but it's almost always good. What about you? Any good changes lately you'd like to celebrate? Any new beginnings?

Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot! I'm also celebrating my first Love Inspired book, Her Unlikely Family, being nominated as a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Contest! I'm so thrilled and honored! :)

Mother's Day is every day

I had an interesting, different kind of Mother's Day. A few days ago, one of my best
friends lost her mother. Miss Hilda Marie was in her eighties. She was such a sweet, delightful woman. The funeral was held on the same day a group of us were headed to Florida to the beach. We left the graveside and changed clothes and headed out,somber about leaving our friend behind but happy to be on the road. At the beach, I visited with my own daughter (Pictured with me here) who lives there and teaches high school. We all had a great time shopping and beaching and just hanging out. But we were still sad about Miss Hilda. (I named a character in my "In the Garden" series after her. The Sunday after she passed away, the choir sang that very song--In the Garden.)

After we made it home through some storms, I was more tired than when I left--probably because we stayed up late, laughing and talking, we played too much in the sand and the pool and the lazy river and we shopped and ate too much. That long drive in unpredictable weather seemed to drag on, but we made it through. Then my son left for Florida to spend the summer with his sister. So I have an empty nest. He left the day before Mother's Day. But he did leave me a little message on the refrigerator. I have lots of refrigerator magnets from places I've traveled andfrom friend--the kind with those cute sayings on them ( a lot of them involving shoes.)I like them arranged all organized and pretty. My son always came along and rearranged them just to aggravate me. On Sunday afternoon, I noticed he'd done it again. He'd taken all my rooster magnets and staggered them down the refrigerator like doorsteps. I had to laugh. His way of getting the last word.

Anyway, Mother's Day this year was different. My mother died when I was in my twenties and my husband's mother died a few years ago. No flowers to send, no phone calls to make. Just a quiet day for the two of us. But my son and daughter did call to wish me a happy day. And it was a bittersweet, happy day. Because I've never been real keen on Mother's Day anyway. When you're a mother, every day is Mother's Day. Every day, you find some joy, some pain, and little reminders that being a mother is a wonderful thing--through the good and the bad of raising children. You're a mother when a child calls crying and upset. You're a mother when a child laughs at your lame jokes or rolls his eyes in disdain. You're a mother when a friend is hurting and needs a listening ear. You're a mother when you hear horrible things on the evening news. And you're still a mother when you stand at your refrigerator and realize your babies are all grown up and marching to the beat of a different drummer.

Mother's Day is never-ending, always challenging, and worth every bit of effort.

We wouldn't have it any other way, would we?


Lenora :)

Remember Your Mother or Mother Figures!

Missy here. First off, a reminder: If you haven't already, be sure to mail your Mother's Day cards and gifts! I bought mine a week ago and still forgot to mail them on Wednesday! So I'm reminding myself, too. :)

I love Mother's Day. I have three children who have always loved to celebrate the occasion. The last few years, they've planned and carried out breakfast in bed--all by themselves (no help from Dad). They're so cute as they invariably wake me while banging around in the kitchen and arguing over who's going to do what. I usually lie in bed and just grin because I've discovered I can't go out to check on them. I made that mistake the first year, and they had a fit when I walked out of the bedroom! So I've learned to just wait and enjoy all the chaos in the kitchen.

They always make quite a spread and bring it to me on a tray. One year, they made me a frozen waffle, scrambled eggs, a banana, orange juice and a huge glass of milk. Oh, and I think they also made me a bowl of cereal to go with it! I guess they just couldn't decide on a menu. :)

What a sweet treat it is to know they want to make the day special for me!

What about you? Is there a mother or some other special person in your life you'd like to honor on Mother's Day? Any ideas what you're going to do for her? We'd love to hear about it!