Christmas at Harmony Hill (19 page)

Susan’s husband climbed up on the wagon seat with his son Willie and started the horses moving out of the village. As she passed by the Centre House, Sophrena glimpsed Sister Edna’s face in one of the windows. Good. She could tell the others. She lifted her hand in a wave that Sister Edna did not acknowledge. She would not. They would mourn Sophrena’s leaving as one who had fallen into sin.

But the Lord had thrown open this door. A gift to her. A gift to be simple. A gift to be free.

As the wagon continued on out of Harmony Hill, Sophrena did not look back.

T
his Shaker Christmas story would have never come about if not for a visit several years ago from my editor, Lonnie Hull DuPont, and my agent, Wendy Lawson. We were getting ready to tour the Pleasant Hill Shaker village near my home when one of them said, “Wouldn’t a Shaker Christmas book be fun?” It wasn’t the Christmas season, and at the time, I knew nothing about how the Shakers even celebrated Christmas, but I took their challenge. This story is the result, and I thank Lonnie and Wendy for their enthusiasm for the idea and for their continual encouragement.

While the words that tell this story of love and forgiveness are mine, I am grateful to the many hands it has passed through on its way to the lovely package you, the reader, now hold. I appreciate everyone at Revell Books who helped make this book the best it can be.

Christmas is a great time to thank my family for their love and support. Last, but never least, I thank the Lord for the gift of words and for giving me readers like you. Thank you so much and may your every Christmas be blessed.

Page
129
—Simple Gifts—Manuscript Hymnals, 1937–47

Page
133
—The Union of the Spirit—Anonymous Author; from
Simple Wisdom
by Kathleen Mahoney, published by Penguin Group, 1993

Ann H. Gabhart
lives on a farm just over the hill from where she grew up in central Kentucky. She loves books, playing with her grandkids, and walking with her dog. She and her husband are blessed with three children and nine grandchildren.

Ann is the author of more than twenty novels for adults and young adults. Her Shaker novel,
The Outsider
, was a Christian Book Awards finalist in the fiction category.
Angel Sister
, Ann’s first Rosey Corner book, was a nominee for inspirational novel of 2011 by
RT Book Reviews
magazine.

Visit Ann’s website at
www.annhgabhart.com
.

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