The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~Mahatma Gandhi
My Shaker Christmas book, Christmas at Harmony Hill, is on e-book special right now. You can download a copy at many of the e-book sites for a penny less than one dollar. Ninety-nine cents! I love that the publishers decided to offer this book at a special price here in the month of December. The cover blurb for the book describes it as a stirring story of healing, hope and home at Christmas. “As Christmas approaches, the joy of new life and the love that is born of forgiveness may hold the answer [for my character’ Heather.]” You can find the special price on Amazon and one Barnes and Noble. Other sites , such as Walmart.com may have the special price too. Always double check the price before you hit download since special prices are for a limited time only.
As I wrote this story and walked with my characters through many struggles, I realized the faith thread in the book is all about forgiveness. The Shakers had a special day each year they called Sacrifice Day or Day of Atonement. On that day, the Shaker brothers and sisters were to consider any wrongs they had done to one another and seek those wronged persons out to ask their forgiveness. They were also to forgive without qualifications any of their brothers or sisters who asked for their forgiveness.
In my Christmas story, two of the main characters, Heather, the young mother-to-be, and Sister Sophrena, the Shaker sister who cared for her, both had fathers who had wronged them. In order to heal the hurt of those wrongs, they needed to forgive. Here is an excerpt from the book where they speak of this with one another.
She turned her head on the pillow to look straight at Sophrena. “Did you ever see your father again?”
“Nay, I did not. I found a new family here at Harmony Hill.” Her words were easy. She had never doubted that choice in those years. Never until this year with her father long dead.
“And so you never forgave him?” Heather looked back up toward the ceiling.
“I shook myself free from him.”
“But did you forgive him?” Heather didn’t wait for her to answer but went on. “Not caring would not be the same as forgiving, would it?”
“Nay, it would not.” Sophrena stared down at her hands and looked inward. A place of bitterness remained there in her heart. Something that shamed her now in the face of this young woman’s words.
“This Sacrifice Day the man spoke about at your meeting, when is it?”
“Today is the fifteenth of December. The visitors from the New Lebanon village will come the day before Christmas to lead us in our day of atonement.”
“Is that the same as forgiveness?”
“Forgiveness with purpose. One must find a way to make amends for wrongs done, to ask forgiveness from those wronged.”
“But what if you are the one wronged?”
“You can’t make another feel sorrow for such wrongs, but perhaps we, you and I, can seek forgiveness from the Lord for harboring that injury and forgive our fathers for the wrongs they did to us.”
“To do as your Shaker leader said, I’d have to tell my father I forgave him. And then I would have to clear my mind and heart of any memory of the wrong and let it be gone forever.”
“That is Sacrifice Day,” Sophrena said.
Heather held her hands over her baby again and this time groaned as the pain swept over her.
“The pains are stronger.” Sophrena looked toward the window. “The rising bell will ring soon. Let me go get Brother Kenton.”
“Not yet.” Heather breathed in and out slowly. “First let us have our own Sacrifice Day now, this minute. Mother begged me to forgive my father, knowing that his heart would be hard against me even before I made my way home. I do not want to walk into this valley of the shadow of death with this burden on me. Help me to do as your Shaker brother said.”
“We can pray.” Sophrena slipped out of the chair onto her knees beside the bed.
“Should I get up to kneel beside you?” Heather tried to get up, but the movement brought a new gasp of pain.
Sophrena pushed her back down. “Nay, the Lord hears our prayers in any position.”
“Would you pray the words aloud for me? For both of us? I know you usually pray in silence, but I need the words in my ears today.”
“Yea, I will try, though it has been many years since I have spoken a prayer aloud.”
“The words are the same unspoken or spoken.”
“Yea.” Sophrena reached over and took Heather’s hands in her. Then she bent her head and was silent for a long moment. At last she began. “Dear Father in heaven, cleanse our hearts of unforgiving thoughts. Let us forgive as you forgive.” She paused again searching for the best words, but there were no best words. Only sincere ones. “I forgive my father for his cold heart toward me. And this child, Heather, she forgives her father for the same.”
Heather spoke then. “I forgive my father for closing the door and his heart on me. I will remember his love and forget his anger. Amen.”
I hope you will consider downloading Christmas to Harmony Hill on your e-readers to read the rest of Heather’s and Sophrena’s stories. The book is no longer available in print except for used copies. However, I know some of you aren’t fond of e-reading. So I’ll give away a print copy of Christmas at Harmony Hill or winner’s choice of any of my other books to one of you who comments on this post. Each week until Christmas, I’ll draw a new winner. You’ll need to comment on the Sunday or Wednesday post and I will draw for the winner the following Sunday and announce the winner on that night’s post. So that means four winners in December. I’m also sending out a newsletter tomorrow (I hope I get it ready by then) with a giveaway chance too. Book prizes and also a beautiful musical Christmas globe. So if you aren’t signed up for my newsletter yet, now would be a good time to do so.
I love this quote from Jan Glidewell. I think that was true for my characters and it’s true for all of us. “You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.”
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ~Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Do you enjoy reading Christmas novels in December? Does the excerpt make you want to know these characters better?
Comments 23
Reading Christmas stories is always fun any time of year! Christmas stories are wonderful reminders that God took on human form to save us from our sins and give us an opportunity to choose a personal relationship with Him! If that doesn’t say “Merry Christmas”, then I don’t know what does!!! 😊 Emanuel, God with Us! 🎄Luke 1 & 2🎄
I like reading Christmas books. I also like reading about the shakers.
Author
So this book, Christmas at Harmony Hill, works on both of those counts, Una. Always good to hear from you here.
Thanks for sharing this excerpt, Ann. Christmas At Harmony Hill was the first of your Shaker stories that I read. I read my library’s copy, but I’m going to download it now so my granddaughters can read it, too.
I enjoy Christmas stories in December…when I find the time to read. I’ve been blessed with lots of orders this season in my little shop. But soon enough I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to curl up with books.
For those of you that’s been praying for Missy…thank you! Test results have all been good, and she has a final evaluation this Thursday to see if she’s ready for her kidney transplant. The extra prayers mean so much! Love to you all!
Author
So glad you gave us an update on Missy, Lavon. Prayer will continue and I do hope she will get a kidney transplant that will give her a better life. I’ve witnessed the difference a new kidney can make to a couple of people in my extended family.
Thanks for already reading my Shaker Christmas story. Fun that you downloaded it anyway. But less than a dollar is a deal for a book. Congratulations on all your orders. I hope you get them all filled with time to relax a little too.
Thank you for the update. Praying for continued success.
What kind of a store do you have?
Hi Karen,
Thank you for praying for Missy. We are all very thankful for the huge network of prayers on her behalf!
I have an online shop for dolls, doll clothing (to fit Barbie & American Girl), infant and preemie clothing, and other specialty items. You can see some of my things on facebook: ButtonsAndBeaux by LavonSheree, and on my Etsy page. I love to sew, and hope to do it fulltime in the near future. 🙂
Thank you. I will check those sites out soon.
Merry Christmas! 🎄😊🎄
I have read this book and found it very interesting, have read more Shaker books and am astonished at their way of life, very different lifestyle than what we are accustomed to. Visited a Shaker village that was closed, but we got to tour the houses and shops and grounds, very peaceful. Thanks for bringing this Sect to us to more understand it.
Author
The Shakers did have some different ideas, Donna, while at the same time they were very generous, peace loving and innovative hard working people. While I would have never wanted to walk the Shaker path, I do enjoy reading about their lives and visiting their villages. The Shaker village near my home also is very peaceful now. I say that might not have been the way of it when the Shakers were building and farming and manufacturing. I’m guessing then the sound of their busy lifestyle would have been a little noisy.
Thanks for the info of the price of this book. I immediately downloaded it. Yes I do love reading Christmas novels !! I also enjoy the Shaker novels that I’ve read.
Author
Thank you, Darlene for downloading my Shaker Christmas book. I do hope you will like this story too. I really liked the characters and was glad I could write more about Sister Sophrena who first appeared in my Shaker book, The Gifted.
Love Christmas stories anytime of the year – especially historical romance novels. Like Karen, immediately ordered your ebook from Amazon.
Author
Great, Doris. I hope you enjoy my Shaker Christmas story whenever you do read it, Christmas time or another time. I’m always so busy around Christmas that I have a hard time getting much reading done. Sometimes I overload my to do list in December.
I love this book. I do love reading Christmas books in December.
Author
Thank you, Lisa. While I think my Shaker Christmas book could be read any time during the year, some books do seem to be seasonal. Sort of like Christmas movies.
I enjoy reading Christmas novels throughout the year! 😊 I didn’t wait to read your excerpt. As soon as I saw it was .99 I went directly to Amazon and bought it. Thank you! A great Christmas gift. 🎄😊🎄
Hoping you had a special Thanksgiving. 🦃
Author
What fun, Karen. Thank you so much for downloading my book. I hope you’ll enjoy the story. I had a very nice Thanksgiving with my daughter-in-law doing the cooking. 🙂 Hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving too.
I, too, had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our daughter-in-law doing the cooking. 😊 What a blessing!
Forgiveness is SO important. I’d love to read this Christmas novel.
I just read your inception, and would love to read this book. I know I would read each word to the end! A book like this, I would read again and again!
Author
I hope you will get a chance to read the “rest of the story,” Bessie. I’m glad you thought it would be a book you’d like to read.
Author
I hope you get a chance to read my Shaker Christmas novel, Suzanne. And you are so right about forgiveness. A Day of Atonement might be a good thing for many churches or families to have.