Merry Christmas | Thoughts On Plot

by Jill Kemerer

Today is my final day as a contributor to Thoughts on Plot. I’ve been so blessed by all of the talented authors here as well as you, our dear readers. I recently signed a 4-book contract with Love Inspired which will keep me busy the next eighteen months. But even before the contract, my schedule had been bulging, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to meet my obligations.

I’m honored to have spent the past two years with you. I pray you had a happy and joyous Christmas, and blessings to you in 2017!

Before I say farewell, though, I’m sharing a beautiful and haunting version of Gabriel’s Message, by Sting. I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you again, and have a happy New Year!!

Jill Kemerer

It’s Christmas Eve! One of my favorite days of the year! I know many of you are racing around, driving to relatives, crowded in airports, frantically wrapping gifts–maybe even buying the gifts! Yeah, Christmas Eve can be crazy!

_DSC8637

Some years it’s an adrenaline rush for us–other years it’s quiet and peaceful. We no longer travel on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, so that cuts down on the craziness. Instead, we drive to Michigan to celebrate with our families a few days later.

One of my favorite memories happened two years ago. A gentle snow fell the night before Christmas Eve. I finished my preparations early that day, and I felt a longing to be outside. I told my husband I was going bird watching at a local park. This particular park is enormous with roads to drive through, paved trails for biking, dirt trails for hiking, and it has an indoor wildlife viewing area where you can sit and watch birds eat from feeders.

My husband surprised me by saying he was coming with me. Our teenagers had no interest (big shock, there!), so just the two of us drove to the park. We watched cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, sparrows and woodpeckers fly to and from the bird feeders. No one else was there. Although the sky was overcast, the beauty of a winter’s day shone through. There’s something very peaceful about winter in the forest.

When we were ready, we decided to drive through the park. We rounded a bend and saw a deer standing near the side of the road! It was beautiful against a white snow backdrop. It was a lovely reminder that God created this beautiful world, and He loved us so much He sent His Son to be our savior.

I can’t remember a more peaceful Christmas Eve–I’ll always treasure it.

Luke 2:14 (NIV84) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Have a merry Christmas! God bless you!!