“Often when we least expect it, God’s love can show up in the form of something or someone we aren’t happy to see – something or someone we want to push away or even run from.” (p. 150)
Betty Kowalski is alone when we are introduced to her in the opening pages of Melody Carlson’s Christmas novella, The Christmas Dog. Widowed and living in a neighborhood where long-time neighbors are being replaced by unfamiliar faces, Betty is a bit anxious about the coming holiday season. She is even more wary of the future that lies ahead of her as she tries to get by on a fixed income in a world that grows ever more expensive. When she learns that her granddaughter is missing and then watches as her new neighbor begins to disassemble the house next door, Betty is almost overcome with despair.
It is at this point in the story that a couple of very unexpected changes take place in Betty’s life. Suddenly she finds herself sheltering a couple of wayward types in her home – one happens to be a four-legged mongrel. She then becomes increasingly uncomfortable as her son and daughter-in-law place her in the midst of a family dispute. Yet it is amid this stress and uncertainty that God begins to move, and Betty begins to rediscover what it means to give from the heart.
As Betty begins to reach beyond her solitary existence, God begins to open her eyes to some very surprising and unexpected changes taking place in her heart. As her heart grows every more tender, Betty can’t help but be amazed at God’s handprints on the changes taking place in her life. By the end of the story, both the reader and Betty are looking for the Savior in very unexpected places – with wonder and thanksgiving in their hearts!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon. Visit Melody's website at www.melodycarlson.com.
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