MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
I hope your Christmas was wonderful and brimming with the true meaning of the season! I know mine was.
But I will admit — it was different. You see, with my son and daughter-in-law and grandkids across the country in Spokane, Washington and with it being my daughter’s turn to spend most of the holiday with my son-in-law’s family this year, Keith and I spent a very quiet — but surprisingly, very lovely — Christmas Eve and Christmas morning alone.
Yes, we missed our kids and grandkids terribly. And yes, it was pretty quiet (and clean, I might add!), but in the midst of the quiet and still, without all the laughter and hub-bub to distract us, we found ourselves, strangely enough, able to focus more on the true meaning of Christmas. To appreciate more fully the gifts God has given us rather than those we’ve given or received ourselves. And I have to tell you, in the absence of celebration with those we love, we found a closeness with each other and with the Savior unlike any we’ve known in the past.
Because I’ve discovered for the very first time that it’s in those times of quiet and loneliness and missing those we love that the still, small Voice can be heard more clearly and loudly than ever before. A reverent time when God’s love becomes as warm and close as the kiss of a precious grandchild or the hug of a son or a daughter. A time of reflection and thanksgiving and undescribable joy over all He has done for each of us throught the birth of His Son.
It’s kind of like the birthday of someone we love. We love them all the time, but it’s on their special day that our focus sharpens and our gratitude grows, when we turn our eyes away from the busyness of life onto only them. That’s how it’s been for me this Christmas, and I have to admit — it’s been a gift I did not expect to receive and one I will never forget. Because beyond all the sparkle and shine of the holidays, nothing satisfies, comforts, supports, or inspires like the gift of God in our lives, a gift that is truly like no other.
And so, I wish you and yours the very best gift of all — a happy, healthy, and holy holiday season overflowing with His love and His joy and His peace.
Hugs,
Julie
ONE-DAY SALE ON LOVE AT ANY COST!
80% SALE ONE DAY ONLY — SUN., DEC. 28 — ON LOVE AT ANY COST!! This is your chance to get Book 1 in The Heart of San Francisco series at it’s lowest price yet!!
GOODREADS’ SWOONY AWARD CONTEST ENDS DEC. 31ST!
Have you supported Christian Fiction in Goodreads Swoony Awards? If so, then I would like to THANK YOU for voting (whether or not you vote for me in the process) by entering you in my contest for a signed copy of any of my books. Just indicate you have voted in the Rafflecopter box below, and you are automatically entered to win your choice of a signed copy of any of my books, including my Charity and Mitch Christmas novella, A Whisper of Hope, ebook OR a printed manuscript (since it’s not in paperback yet). Here’s the link, and HAPPY VOTING!!
VOTE FOR CHRISTIAN FICTION AT GOODREADS VOTING LINK, THEN ENTER THE CONTEST BY TELLING ME YOU VOTED IN THE BOX BELOW!a Rafflecopter giveaway
PRIZES GALORE DURING SEEKERVILLE’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY!!
Be there or be square!! Join me and the other Seekerville authors for a rockin’, sockin’ New Year’s Eve Pary ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT on Dec. 31st. Prizes will be given away every hour, and I’ll be giving away my books during my chat time of 1:00 -3:00 PM, so come by to say “hey,” okay? Here’s the link:
http://seekerville.blogspot.com/
FREEBIES & SALES:
80% SALE ONE DAY ONLY — SUN., DEC. 28 — ON LOVE AT ANY COST!! This is your chance to get Book 1 in The Heart of San Francisco series at it’s lowest price yet!!
CHRISTMAS SALES ON FINAL BOOKS IN O’CONNOR FAMILY SAGA!! HUGE savings on A Heart Revealed & A Love Surrendered!!
FREE Download of
A Passion Most Pure!
ACFW Debut Book of the Year & almost 300 5-star reviews can’t be wrong! See why some have read it 20 times!
Click here:
AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, CHRISTIANBOOKSTORE.COM, iBOOKSTORE
CHRISTMAS IS COMING AND A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW IS FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!! My Irish Christmas love story, A Light in the Window—winner of three awards—is ABSOLUTELY FREE on Kindle Unlimited, so do check it out. Here’s the video my hubby did for A Light in the Window with my daughter as the model for both the book and video, so take a peek to get you in the Christmas spirit. ALITW Video.
