Thirty Days of Giving--DEC 18-20

In the final volume of the Miracle at Valley Rise series (at least for now) Emily and Stani face the kind of real life events that challenge us all. Please help yourself to a copy FREE for the next three days--my gift to you, my friends and family!

http://www.amazon.com/Offered-Love-Miracle-Valley-Rise-ebook/dp/B00BCS4Y06/ref=asap_B007ILHX90?ie=UTF8

Valley Rise Christmas--Day Five

This one of my favorite scenes from Hearts Unfold, as Christmas Eve continues. . .

     With each reading of the beloved scriptures, with the singing of each carol, she found deeper peace.  Her littlest charge, Jenny, curled on her lap and at times one or the other of the children snuggled against her as they watched the glimmer of the candles and listened to the choir.  When she knelt before them, leading them in the first stanza of “Away in a Manger,” their sweet, clear voices were the only sound in the church.  Tears filled her eyes.  They not only sang like cherubs, but their faces glowed with the wonder of their accomplishment.  As the choir joined in the next stanza, she felt a shiver of joy.  This was her home, her church, her people.  This was where she was meant to build her life.
     When they returned to their places near the altar, her tiniest cherub tapped her on the shoulder and pointed into the congregation, calling out a name she couldn't quite understand.  Emily put her finger to her lips in a silent shush, and the little girl sweetly imitated her gesture.  With a soundless laugh, she gathered the child onto her lap, hugging her close, but something made her look back in the direction Jenny had pointed.  At the rear of the church, where several latecomers stood along the wall, she spotted Jack, rain glistening on his uniform jacket.  She was surprised.  He’d planned to attend the eleven o'clock service, she was sure.  She wondered briefly if there had been some kind of emergency.
     The congregation sat in rapt attention, all eyes focused on Pastor Mike as he read the final passage of the nativity story.  The first chords of “Silent Night” sounded and Emily got to her feet, checking that the children were holding hands as instructed.  When she looked back for Jack, the place where he'd been standing was empty.  Still wondering about his disappearance, she started to sing, getting through the first measure before her voice caught in her throat.
     She could see him clearly, framed by the heads and shoulders of rows of familiar faces.  His eyes, fixed on a place somewhere above her head, were glistening with unshed tears.  Jenny pulled gently on her hand, and she lifted the little girl to her hip.  When she raised her eyes, he was looking straight at her, smiling tenderly.  Jenny reached up and touched her face, and she realized tears were coursing down her cheeks.  Lowering her head, she kissed the tiny fingertips, smiling into the little face beside her.  The hymn ended and in the hush which followed, everyone stood with heads bowed, waiting.
     Pastor Mike's voice rang in the silence with the words of the Charge.  “Go out into the world in peace; have courage; hold on to what is good. . . .” Through the roaring in her ears, over the pounding of her heart, she could barely make out the familiar words. . . “support the weak; help the suffering; honor all men; love and serve the Lord.”  In her arms, Jenny cuddled closer, resting her head on Emily’s shoulder with a contented little sigh as the service came to a close.  “The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord be kind and gracious unto you.  The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.  Amen.”
     The first notes of the postlude thundered around her.  She stood still, her heart thumping against her ribs.  Parents came forward, complimenting her and the children, collecting their offspring.  She passed Jenny to her father's arms, accepted hugs from the other children.  One of the mothers put a wrapped gift in her hands, but she was only vaguely aware of the activity surrounding her.  Pastor Mike was coming toward her, a smile on his face, his hand extended.
     And then he was beside her, his arm gently encircling her waist.  Somehow, she found her voice.  “Pastor Mike, this is my very good friend, Stani Moss.”

Thirty Days of Giving--DEC16-17

What follows one and two? That's right, Heart of My Own Heart! FREE DEC 16-17 only. Join Emily and Stani in the first, and very busy, year of their married life. 

http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Miracle-Valley-Rise-Book-ebook/dp/B008A6Q1IQ/ref=asap_B007ILHX90?ie=UTF8

Thirty Days of Giving--Bundle Up!

 

As part of Thirty Days of Giving, the entire Miracle at Valley Rise Series--four full-length novels--in one download, regularly priced at $7.99, will be on sale DEC 15-31 for just $3.99! This is 50% off the already discounted price of the bundle over individual copies. Take advantage of this very special price and treat yourself and your friends and family to this very special love story!

http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Valley-Rise---Books-One--Four-ebook/dp/B00J39ZPTU/ref=asap_B007ILHX90?ie=UTF8

Valley Rise Christmas--Day Four

Three years later, Emily is once again a permanent resident of her childhood home.  And once again, she prepares to celebrate Christmas Eve with her friends and neighbors.  For the first time, she has volunteered to direct the children's choir, her "Cherubs," as they participate in the service.

 Christmas Eve dawned gray and cold.  The forecast called for rain, not snow, and the low clouds held the promise of a gloomy day.  But Emily refused to be discouraged.  She made up her mind to be brutally cheerful, no matter how much the pain under her ribs reminded her of Stani's absence.  She had plenty to keep her busy, and the time would pass, whether she chose to be happy or sad.  As music blared through the speakers, filling the house, she hummed along, even danced a few steps across the kitchen floor, reminding herself of all she had to be happy about.  If everything else paled in comparison to the sight of his face, the touch of his hand, so be it.  Blessings were blessings weren't they, none of them to be counted as anything less.

At six she ate her supper and dressed for church.  She had been to Martha Jean's and, as a gift to herself, purchased a ridiculously expensive new blouse.  White silk, with an open collar and flowing sleeves caught at the wrist in lace cuffs, it was the perfect complement to the camel skirt and dark green vest she’d bought in the fall.  She loved the elegant length of the skirt, falling just above her ankles.  It would be appropriately graceful as she sat on the floor with her little ones during the service.  She wasn’t often overly concerned with her appearance, but tonight she took special pains.  In honor of the occasion, she wanted to look her best. 
Before she left, she moved Joseph and Mary into the stable, with the noble donkey grazing on the hearth nearby.  The shepherds she placed on a table not far away, where the heralding angel's message could reach them.  Finally, she set the angel directly beneath the star hanging above the mantel.  Leaving the lamp shining in the window, she started out for church just as rain began to fall in earnest.
The little stone church was packed, buzzing with excitement as families gathered and friends greeted one another as if they hadn’t been together in months, rather than days.  Her cherubs, with their shining clean faces and carefully brushed hair, seemed suitably impressed with the importance of their roles in the service, even a little subdued.  Emily could only hope that attitude lasted through the hour they spent in full view of the congregation.
But as the music began, and she led them to their places, all her anxiety melted away.  It was a sacred night and even if the children were restless or sang a little off key, nothing could cast a shadow over the beauty of this, her favorite night of the year.

Thirty Days of Giving--DEC 13-14

Stani and Emily have taken the first steps toward a life together, but now the real challenges begin. Help yourself to the second book in the Miracle at Valley Rise series, Entreat Me Not. FREE DEC 13-14.

http://www.amazon.com/Entreat-Miracle-Valley-Rise-Book-ebook/dp/B009G2YIZG/ref=asap_B007ILHX90?ie=UTF8

Valley Rise Christmas--Day Three

Continuing in Hearts Unfold, Emily returns to her home church on the arm of her godfather, Jack Deem, and is reminded of all she has missed since she left for college.  A chance conversation also reminds her of the possibility of miracles even in the most dire of circumstances.

 In the narthex, the smell of pine boughs and the glow of candlelight wrapped around her, drawing her in.  The sanctuary was already crowded.  Local families swelled with out-of-town guests, sleepy children in the arms of proud grandparents, several young men in uniform, their mothers or sweethearts clinging to their arms, all gathered in anticipation of the hour to come.  From her seat next to Jack, she searched the familiar faces.  Down front, Sara McConnell sat between sons Peter and James.  Peter had let his hair grow longer, now that he was at college, and the blonde mane was very becoming.  He was even better looking than the last time Emily had seen him, which must have been almost two years ago.  James, home on leave from Southeast Asia, was in uniform.  Thin and deeply tanned, he looked older, and there was a tense, haggard expression on his face as he gazed down at his mother.

They’d been close friends; Peter and Emily the same age and James four years older, they had played together as children.  She’d even dated Peter briefly during their sophomore year, ending the relationship with an uneasy truce after some awkward attempts at romance.  She smiled as she recalled telling a red-faced Peter he could keep his sweaty hands to himself if that was all he was interested in.  But they had put that aside during their senior year, when she'd been struggling to adjust to life alone and James had been preparing to go overseas.  The three of them had supported each other, finding comfort in the fact they were each moving into a future filled with uncertainty.

Slipping closer to Jack, she looked around in amazement.  This gathering looked like every other Christmas Eve service she'd attended through the years.  The same smiling faces, some looking a bit frail now with age; the same murmur of voices, using every moment to visit before the first notes sounded from the organ.  There were smiles of surprised recognition, and she knew the news of her presence would spread through the congregation by the end of the service.

Behind her, a man and woman were deep in soft-spoken conversation, commenting on the artificial trees with their tiny electric candles that stood grouped behind the crèche figures at the front of the church.  The man was saying what a pity about those cedar trees.  His wife whispered, “You did your best.”

“But it's still a shame not to have real trees.  I just couldn't get to 'em before the ice came.  Guess they're still stacked up on the side of the road by the springs.  Pity, wasting all those trees.”  The woman shushed him softly.

Emily gasped at the vision of a black clad figure, sailing through the darkness and coming to rest on a nest of soft cedar branches.  She looked at Jack's profile, but he seemed not to have heard.  Could that have been what happened?  If the trees intended to decorate the church had indeed cushioned his fall, how could anyone deny Stani had been saved by an act of God?

The organ came to life, and she saw Pastor Mike step to the pulpit, raising his hands for silence.  Over the soft music, Emily listened to his warm, strong voice as he called the people to worship.

“This is the night of our savior's birth.  Let us open our hearts in welcome as we come together to worship God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit on this most miraculous of nights.”