Yesterday, it snowed, so it’s now officially Winter. Not meteorologically or by the calendar, but in my soul. I live in New England, so the first snow can be as early as October, which is definitely not winter and I get around that by telling myself it’s fluffy rain. In the normal course of things, at some point in November, or this year early December, the snow flies and the season officially changes.
Here in Massachusetts we play the “Can you make it to November without turning on the heat” game. I win every year. Being the frugal sort and completely okay with walking around the house in fingerless gloves, shawls and hats, I can take the cold. The darkness of winter is a lot less fun. When it’s both cold and dark, snow can be downright cheerful. When daylight savings ends and the sun is setting before I even get out of work, I appreciate anything that is white and light.
That may be why we tend to start the Christmas revelry weeks before the holiday. The perfect time to hang lights and greenery in our houses is when it’s cold and dark. It’s a great way to make the nights merry and bright. And I’m a fan of the weeks ahead of the holiday spent making plans. In the way planning a trip can sometimes be better than taking it; I like the preparation and anticipation. In my imagination it’s a Christmas with no mistakes in it.
Christmas itself is often loaded with expectations that go unmet. There are missed gifts, celebrations unattended, and greetings ignored or never given. For some, the whole season is only a reminder of what they don’t have or what they’ve lost. Long, dark nights can combine sorrows and disappointments to overwhelm us.
It’s a good thing God meets us where we are. He doesn’t wait for us to climb out of our sadness. He reaches down into it and holds our hand, reminding us there is a dawn, that He sent His Son to save us from sin and the cares of the world. It’s better than lights on a Christmas tree, although I’m pretty happy to have both. This season, I hope you are, too.
Christa MacDonald is a 2017 Carol Award finalist for contemporary Christian fiction. She began her writing career at the age of eleven, filling a sketchbook with poems and short stories. After publishing a few short pieces in her college’s literary magazine she took a long hiatus during which she embarked on a few different careers, got married, had three kids, and renovated an old barn masquerading as a house. Sweet River Redemption is her three-book Contemporary Christian Romance series set in the mountains of Maine.
When not working or writing Christa can be found ferrying her kids around, reading, or attempting something crafty. She and her family live along the coast of New England.
Katherine Grant takes the job at Sweet River Christian Academy hoping a small town in the wilderness of Maine will be a vacation from her high-powered career and a break from the emotional toll of the secrets she has buried deep. With the school director on a power trip and evidence of shady dealings, there’s nothing relaxing about it. Maybe it would be easier if she wasn’t so distracted by Captain MacAlister, the local cop she can’t get along with, yet can’t get out of her head. She didn’t trek up to the middle of nowhere to lose her heart.
Mac doesn’t need the kind of trouble he believes Katherine will bring. He’s got enough to deal with from poachers to drug crime. Mac has rules to maintain his faith, like avoiding the pull of an attractive woman who doesn’t fit his life. But when he meets Katherine, he’s drawn in by her intelligence and strength, despite getting burned by her quick temper.
When near tragedy strikes, Katherine reveals her feelings, and Mac doesn’t hesitate to respond. If only their scars, both seen and unseen, didn’t threaten to tear them apart. Two wary hearts must soften and two steel wills bend if they have any hope of making it down the broken trail to love.
