Or maybe, like me, success wasn’t what you were hoping to attain. Maybe it was a matter of following a power bigger than yourself. If so, I’m glad I’m in good company. I’d love to know your story, too.
Now I have been a Christian for almost thirty years. I’ve been a published writer for about half that time. Both journeys have not always been easy. Both have been filled with ups and downs. Yet both have given me much joy, too. I’d like to think that anything worth having takes some hard work. It takes some time to grow and mature, too.
And because of that, I am comfortable with the fact that I’m still on my journey, one morning at a time.
Letter from the Author
Dear Reader,
Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoyed His Promise, as well as the entire Amish of Hart County series. Christmas books are my favorite novels to write, and this book was no exception, probably because it starred a very spunky dachshund named Snooze.
Do you have a pet? I grew up with dogs, and when our children were four and six years old, we got our first dog for them. Phoebe was an adorable beagle who ended up sleeping on the end of our son’s bed for twelve years of her life. I think she missed Arthur as much as I did when he went off to college!
When Phoebe was about eight, we got Suzy, our first dachshund. Phoebe was doubtful about being around the spunky little dog at first, but they soon became best friends. Since then, we’ve adopted two more dachshunds, and a beagle-dachshund mix named Eddie. What’s been gratifying for me is that we’ve passed on our love of dogs to our children. Each of them now has two dogs of their own. I guess the tradition has continued!
All these dogs make for a chaotic, messy, and loud Christmas. Ornaments have been chewed, presents investigated, cookies stolen from tables—and, yes, once Phoebe ate a whole pizza on Christmas Eve.
Other than the pizza episode, I have to admit that I kind of like the way our dogs have made our holidays so special. Our pets have given us so much joy and love. In a lot of ways, they’ve made our house into a home.
I hope you have a lovely Christmas season whether you, like me, have a houseful of canines or a houseful of friends and family. What matters the most is Jesus’s birth and time spent with people you love. Thank you for making this book a part of your Christmas season, too!
Wishing you joy and peace and His blessings,
Shelley Shepard Gray
Questions for Discussion
I thought the following verse from Psalm 9 was perfect for this Christmas novel. How does your faith fill you with joy? “I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”
I discovered the Amish proverb “Prayers go up, Blessings come down” after I finished the novel. I thought it was fitting since prayer helped many characters throughout the novel. When has prayer led to blessings in your life?
What did you think of Grace’s original desire to have more of a “simple” Christmas? What are some things you do in order to remember the true meaning of the holiday?
One of my favorite relationships in the novel was Grace’s bond with Dorma. Though Grace began seeing herself as Dorma’s caretaker, she soon learned that Dorma was also taking care of her. Why do you think they needed each other so much?
I learned so much about firefighting, and about Amish firefighters, for this novel. What did you think about having an Amish hero with an unusual occupation? How do you think his faith helped make him a better firefighter?
What did you enjoy about Grace and John Michael’s relationship? What do they have that John Michael had found to be missing with Beth?
Grace learns throughout the novel just how much she values her family and wishes she conveyed that more often. Is there anyone in your life that you feel you might take for granted from time to time?
I was so excited to have a dachshund as one of the main characters in the book. I based Snooze’s character on two of our dachshunds, one of whom sleeps all day long. If you own a pet, how has it enriched your life?
Cranberry Salad
1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1 14 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce
¼ cup lemon juice
1 9 oz. container of Cool Whip
Mix all together and freeze in a 9-x-13-inch pan. Top with a ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired, and serve.
Taken from Country Blessings Cookbook by Clara Coblentz. Used with permission of the Shrock’s Homestead, 9943 Copperhead Rd. N.W., Sugarcreek, OH 44681
Cherry Chocolate Christmas Cookies
2 ½ cups butter, softened
4 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ cups baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 jar maraschino cherries, cherries drained and halved
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8–10 minutes. When cookies are half baked, take out and place half a cherry on top, and then continue to bake until done.
*Tip~ a melon baller helps make perfect-sized cookie-dough scoops.
Taken from Country Blessings Cookbook by Clara Coblentz. Used with permission of the Shrock’s Homestead, 9943 Copperhead Rd. N.W., Sugarcreek, OH 4468
Coconut Pecan Bars
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Adds eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add vanilla. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder, gradually adding to creamed mixture. Sir in coconut and pecans. Batter will be thick.
Spread in a greased 15-x-10-x-1-inch baking pan and bake for 20–25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool, and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into bars.
Taken from Country Blessings Cookbook by Clara Coblentz. Used with permission of the Shrock’s Homestead, 9943 Copperhead Rd. N.W., Sugarcreek, OH 44681
About the Author
Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in Loveland, Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
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Also by Shelley Shepard Gray
Sisters of the Heart series
Hidden
Wanted
Forgiven
Grace
Seasons of Sugarcreek series
Winter’s Awakening
Spring’s Renewal
Autumn’s Promise
Christmas in Sugarcreek
Families of Honor series
The Caregiver
The Protector
The Survivor
A Christmas for Katie (novella)
The Secrets of Crittenden County series
The Search
Found
Peace
The Days of Redemption series
Daybreak
Ray of Light
Eventide
Snowfall
Return to Sugarcreek series
Hopeful
Thankful
Joyful
Amish Brides of Pinecraft series
The Promise of Palm Grove
The Proposal at Siesta Key
A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn
A Wish on Gardenia Street (novella)
A Christmas Bride in Pinecraft
The Charmed Amish Life series
A Son’s Vow
A Daughter’s Dream
A Sister’s Wish
An Amish Family Christmas
The Amish of Hart County series
Her Secret
His Guilt
The Gift
His Risk
Her Fear
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
his promise. Copyright © 2018 by Shelley Shepard Gray. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Digital Edition NOVEMBER 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-246920-5
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-246919-9
Cover design by Laura Klynstra
Cover photographs © Cavan Images/ Offset.com (barn); © Zanna Holstova / Shutterstock (dog); © cgbaldauf/iStock/Getty Images (wagon)
Avon, Avon & logo, and Avon Inspire & logo are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
HarperCollins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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