Bøger af Aretta Gordish

It was the perfect summer day in the small town of Snowflake Falls. The perfect day for the Fourth of July parade where the town planned to celebrate the homecoming of Major Jake Engle, a decorated war hero. As a Green Beret, Jake was used to going on tough military missions, and though he was home on leave, which should be a time of much needed rest and relaxation, he felt as if he was on the toughest mission of his life. He had made a promise to a dying soldier that he would marry his wife and take care of their small child. It was a promise Jake intended to keep. The only problem was that he had to convince the young window, Sophia Anderson, that he intended to marry her even though she believed she would never be able to give her heart to another man, especially one who was in the Army. Jake and Sophia would come to learn that though life could sometimes be incredibly hard, God still had a plan that was meant for good. It was going to take a great deal of patience and trust before either of them would understand just how good God's plan could be.

Several years ago, in the small town of Snowflake Falls, Sonja Bauer and her sister, Julianna, had fallen in love with the same man. Otis Unger chose Sonja, leaving Julianna heart broken, bitter, and alone. Feeling betrayed by her sister, Julianna was consumed with anger to the point that she wanted nothing to do with her sister, or the small town. Sonja and Otis married, had a child, and then watched as their marriage fell apart, now leaving Sonja the one who was heart broken, bitter and alone. It would take many years to reunite the sisters, and a tragedy to bring Sonja and Otis to admit they still loved each other. In their darkest hour, during the coldest season of the year, was it possible that forgiveness and healing would come to all who were hurting? It would take more than time to heal the old wounds. It would take a season of love.

It's Christmastime and all the good folks of Snowflake Falls are getting excited about all that the season brings to the small town. There's the annual parade and tree lighting ceremony, and the St. Timothy Lutheran Church choir is once again gearing up for the Christmas Eve Cantata. The Main Street is lit up and decorated for the holiday, and tourist are already starting to arrive to visit the quaint little town that looks just like a Christmas village...except for the one dark spot on the north end of Main Street where the bar owner, Helmut Schweinsteiger, refused to even hang a wreath on his door. No matter how hard the community tried to get Helmut to participate in the community festivities this time of year, he stubbornly wouldn't comply. Instead, he gladly accepted the title of town Scrooge. Helmut wanted no part of making Christmas memories. All he wanted was to forget he had ever had a wife and son who had been cruelly taken from him on Christmas Eve. He wanted to forget that he once had a sweet, little girl who would climb up on his lap and kiss his scruffy cheek. As far as he was concerned, there had never been a blue-eyed, golden-haired toddler who called him Papa. But his daughter, Nora, remembered. She remembered how her father used to lift her high in the air and swing her around as if she were an airplane. She remembered how he would let her crawl in bed with him when a storm woke her up. She remembered the smell of pine from the soap he used, and she remembered the red cowboy boots he had given her that Christmas Eve so long ago. That was one Christmas memory she could never seem to forget.Because she remembered, she was returning to Snowflake Falls to help her Papa remember, too.

No place on earth is free from hullabaloo and mayhem. No matter where you go there will always be someone who has an ulterior motive that is meant for harm. However, if such a place did exist, it would probably be a quaint little town much like Snowflake Falls. To say the crime rate was low in the small community was an overstatement. No matter the crime, large or small, whether it be homicide, assault, battery, kidnapping, arson, forgeries, embezzlement, speeding, or even jay walking, it just didn't happen in Snowflake Falls. So it was no surprise that a tizzy broke out in the community after news had spread that an actual detective from Chicago, of all places, was coming to the small town to help the police department solve a cybercrime. Many in the community had no idea what a cybercrime even was. Not everyone welcomed technology. It wasn't that the town was behind the times, people just didn't like it. Not the younger crowd, of course, but some of the older folks felt spending time on the computer and the World Wide Wed, as they called it, was nothing but a waste of time that could be spent doing something more productive.However, no one, young or old, would have ever imagined that someone would use technology to harm anyone in Snowflake Falls. But that was exactly what was happening to Trudy Speckles, the mayor's administrative assistant. Desperate to get this case solved, the police chief called his nephew, Detective Chad O'Rourke, and asked if he would come to Snowflake Falls and help them out for a little while. Detective O'Rourke was not expecting how challenging this case would be, and he certainly wasn't expecting to become involved in the lives of the quirky and yet lovable people who lived in the town. It wouldn't take him long at all to realize that Snowflake Falls was a special place where the people who lived there would begin to matter to him in a personal and meaningful way.One person, in particular, had captured his heart, something he had never allowed to happen to him before. He didn't seem to have a choice, though. It was as if she had wrapped herself tightly around his heart and mind, and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to let her go.

For many, a trip to Snowflake Falls at Christmas time was at the top of their list of fun things to do during the holidays. But, sadly, not this year. A dark cloud had descended upon the quaint community causing a lack of Christmas cheer in the hearts and minds of everyone in town. Instead of preparing for the most blessed time of year, the small city became like a ghost town void of festive decorations, and all the traditional holiday events had been cancelled, including the annual Christmas Eve Cantata at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. In addition to the troubles the town was having, a young couple, once in love, had drifted apart, leaving a dark cloud of heartache that seemed impossible to heal. Also, a family, unable to forgive past wrongs, had lived under a dark cloud of hurt and regret for most of their lives. It was indeed a sad time in Snowflake Falls. But things always have a way of working out just fine in the small town. Some called it a coincidence, others believed it was indeed a miracle, but regardless, all would come to know that a promise remembered from long ago would bring to one and all a very Merry Christmas!

It was the beginning of the Christmas season in Snowflake Falls and for 29 year old, Thomasina Wright, or Tommi, as her friends called her, that meant attending every holiday bazaar and craft fair in the county. She had been doing this for two years, saving every dime she made so that she could one day open her own store in downtown Snowflake Falls. She was hopeful that the Christmas Bazaar in her home town would result in a nice profit and would be the last one she would ever need to participate in. To her surprise, there was another potter at the bazaar who was practically giving his pottery away, making it difficult for her to sell anything. However, he would turn out to be more than just another potter. He was someone who Tommi would come to rely on in ways she would have never dreamed possible. Tommi would come to learn that dreams have a way of shifting here and there as the winds of life blow hard and strong.This Christmas season a storm was brewing in her life, one she was not prepared to face.Though it would be hard, she would find that her faith and trust in a loving God, the care provided by family and friends, and an unexpected gift, would give her the courage she needed to make all her dreams come true.

Carol Brunswick had grown up in the small town of Snowflake Falls, but left right out of high school and never looked back. She wanted more out of life than the little town could afford. She naively thought she had finally found all that she had ever hoped and dreamed about in the posh, affluent neighborhood of Chicago where she lived, by all appearances, a perfect life in a perfect home with a perfect husband and perfect children. But things weren't as perfect as they seemed. Carol used to say to her parents, "If I come home, it will only be for a short visit." However, this Christmas, Carol would be coming home to stay. Maybe she would find that her only regret was that she hadn't come home sooner.