Today on the Christmas Blog Party, welcome Elaine Marie Cooper, author of Legacy of Deer Run as she shares about the joy of the season. After the post, she is giving away a signed copy of Legacy of Deer Run.
Our best Christmas present in 1978 was our daughter, Bethany. She was only 7 pounds, 11 ounces, but our sweet newborn filled our home that year with immeasurable joy.
There was little else to celebrate that winter. Times were tough in the Cooper household and our personal economy had sunk deeper than the snowdrifts outside our door. Because of scarce resources, we had little in the way of gifts. But where the coins were limited, the creativity was limitless as our little tree took on festive yet simple decorations.
My mom visited and crocheted an ornament with the date spelled out in yarn. My husband, Steve, spent hours crafting a wooden truck for our two-year-old son. My creative spouse spent more hours designing a wooden ornament that I still treasure to this day. It was a memorable year in so many ways, with treasures abounding that money could not buy.
As I look back on that Christmas 38 years ago, I don’t regret the paucity of money nor the struggles we endured that taught us to be more compassionate Christians. What I do regret is that our sweet Bethany is no longer with us.
Her life was a testimony of living life well, even when the years are few. In her twenty-four years, her life seemed to impact so many others who still can recall her smile, her laugh, her intelligence, and her compassion. Mostly, her legacy is one of faith fulfilled in living a Christian life that made a positive difference in the lives of others.
It was a life of joy despite circumstances that seemed to whisk her away to heaven far sooner than any of us wanted. The joy in remembering Bethany reminds me that joy is not about the ever-changing circumstances that make us happy or sad. It is the realization that there is a promise for life eternal with God’s Son, whose birth we celebrate each Christmas.
That is truly the Joy of the season.
Do you have traditions that help you remember that the greatest gift we could ever receive is the gift of God’s son?
The year is 1800.
A young man makes weapons for the defense of America, still a fledgling nation. He also protects his heart from the allure of a young woman whose station in life keeps her out of his reach.
The lady fights her own battle against loneliness and grief. Despite her finery and airs, she is drawn to the young armory worker who is distant yet disarming.
Love is not the only entanglement. The nation’s enemies are afoot. They creep within the very walls where America’s defenses are forged. Who are they? When will they strike? Who will survive their terrorism?
Intrigue of the heart and intrigue of the times are only part of this compelling story—Book 3 of the Deer Run Saga. This series finale is a gripping mix of romance and deception, faith and forgiveness, transgression and trial.
Enter the Rafflecopter to win a signed copy of Legacy of Deer Run.
Giveaway rules: Open to residents of the continental USA. Must be 18 years old to enter. Winners will be chosen at random.
Winner will be notified by email and have 3 days to respond with a mailing address or book will be awarded to another entrant.
Share this post with your friends using the buttons below or click HERE to share an invite on Twitter!
Stop by HERE to find the other blog party posts and discover which giveaways are still live.
Join us on our Facebook Group to get alerts when there is a new giveaway live.
Award winning author Elaine Marie Cooper is the author of the Deer Run Saga—Road to Deer Run, Promise of Deer Run and her newest release, Legacy of Deer Run. Her other books include Saratoga Letters, Fields of the Fatherless, and Bethany’s Calendar, a memoir about her daughter’s battle with brain cancer. She has been captivated by the history of the American Revolution since she was young. She grew up in Massachusetts, the setting for many of her historical novels.
Cooper has been writing since she penned her first short story at age eleven. She began researching for her first novel in 2007. Her writing has also appeared in Fighting Fear, Winning the War at Home by Edie Melson and the romance anthology, I Choose You. She has written articles for Prayer Connect Magazine, Splickety Prime Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, and Life: Beautiful Magazine. She began her professional writing career as a newspaper freelancer.
You can read more at her Website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter
REMEMBER: After you comment, you must enter the Rafflecopter giveaway above to be eligible to win a copy of Legacy of Deer Run.
Touching story. I want to check out your books!!
1978 was a Christmas I’ll never forget also, Elaine, and a wooden decoration my husband gave me was the highpoint. The child I had carried only four months died the end of October. My husband gave me an olive wood creche from the holy land that Christmas and it has been a favorite Christmas treasure ever since. 1979 was a blessing with the birth of our first son.
Your Bethany continues to inspire people. Thank you for sharing her with us.
We do have traditions that remind us why we celebrate. I always put a nativity scene in an obvious place, where we see it regularly. We read th e Christmas story before we open our gifts to each other, thus remembering the gift that started this whole tradition. When we are finished, we just sit and talk and enjoy each other ‘s company.
Oh, Janet, I did not know of your loss! How similar are our tales of both grief and joy. And your wooden creche sounds amazing. Thank you for your kind words. You are a treasure. Love and hugs, Elaine
I love your Christmas traditions, Betti! We also read the Christmas story before opening gifts. I always treasure those moments of reflecting on the birth of our Savior. I pray your Christmas is blessed!! 🙂
Thank you, Deborah, and I pray my books bless you. Have a Merry Christmas!