Rose heard the crunching of footsteps on the snow behind her. She turned as Marcus approached from behind, nodding his head in agreement. “It’s about time. That’s all I’ve got to say!” He introduced himself to Rose’s brothers.
Brothers. What could be more wonderful than brothers?
Jonathan cleared his throat. “I’m not sure these roses will last until then, but we found some greenhouses nearby to get more.”
“But roses at an Amish wedding? It seems so fancy.” She chuckled.
“But it seems right for someone like our Rose,” Rodney said.
As Rose stood there, Bobby approached her first. He handed his rose to her. Then Timothy, followed by Rodney.
“Our dad and mom … they would want nothing more than to have been here with you,” Timothy said, “celebrating the life and love that God has given you.” He peered over her shoulder. “Can we meet them—meet the other part of your family?”
With Jonathan beside her, Rose led the way inside. Tears filled her eyes as she noticed that Mem had added small candles to the greenery in the windows. It had just started to get dark, and already the numerous candles had a familiar glow.
The Christmas season was upon her, but the feelings of pain and longing were gone. Rose had been given a great gift—not only one family to love her, but two. And now, with Jonathan by her side, she’d have her own family to love. She’d have children someday, and a good community to raise them in. Not a perfect community, but one she’d learn to accept as they’d learn to accept her—to accept them.
Rose knew the story she would tell her children someday. The story about her helping to rescue the Yoders and about being rescued herself not only by a loving Amish family, but also by God. That was the most important part. No matter where she went, God was her family. He was her hope. For a while she’d thought she’d been stripped of so much, but now she knew she’d been given everything she ever needed.
Rose squeezed Jonathan’s hand. She’d been given a love—many loves—that would last forever. She twirled the rose in her fingers, feeling for the first time that she’d finally found home.
Home.
Author’s Note
IN 2011 MY FRIEND TWYLA AND I VISITED PENNSYLVANIA and Ohio, touring the beautiful Amish communities along the way. One night we had dinner with three Amish couples. We asked about their lives and their faith. They asked about ours. We laughed and shared. It was a rich time indeed. I was full—both from the buffet of food and the conversations.
And then, in parting, I heard a story that piqued my interest. It was about the grandmother of one of the men. During the Depression his grandmother (a child at the time) often found friendship—and food—at the house of her Amish neighbors. And then one day she returned home after a day of play to find her Englisch family gone. They’d left her—not because of displeasure, but because they wanted her to have a life they couldn’t give.
From that story this one was born. History is worth delving into. I was blessed to be able to do so! What family story do you have to listen to or to share?
Tricia Goyer
Little Rock, Arkansas
2013
Discussion Questions
1. In A Christmas Gift for Rose, Rose is angry at the man she’d planned on marrying, Jonathan Fisher, because he left their Amish community to serve in the military. Why did this make Rose angry? Was it justifiable?
2.Even as Rose thinks there is no hope for her and Jonathan because of his closeness with the Englisch during the war, she discovers she’s Englisch herself. What conflicts does this bring in Rose’s heart?
3.Jonathan’s sister Ruthann urges him to risk his heart. Why is it tough for him to step out again?
4.Rose knew that any compromise against their Amish traditions would lead to more compromise, and soon one would no longer be Amish. Do you ever feel pulled by following your parents’ traditions and creating your own? How?
5.During World War II most Amishmen chose to join the Conservation Corp or spend their time in jail or working on farms. How did the war impact these men and those in their community?
6.Even though Rose was an adult she wished she could crawl onto her father’s lap and let him rock her. Do you think Rose’s closeness to her Amish parents made it harder or easier on her when she discovered the truth?
7.Rose had to trust God and depend on Him more when she felt her whole world torn apart. How has God met you in your dark times?
8.In addition to Jonathan and Rose coming to terms with their new lives, Rose’s neighbor Harold also had to deal with returning home after the war. How were Rose and Jonathan able to help Harold?
9.Rose received a few special gifts at the end of the book. How do you think those gifts help Rose find “home”?
Acknowledgments
THIS STORY WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED EXCEPT FOR wonderful booksellers Eli and Vesta Hochstetler of The Gospel Store (www.mygospelbookstore.com) in Berlin, Ohio who set up a wonderful dinner with three amazing Amish couples. It was a night of great conversation and stories. I’m forever grateful to Eli and Vesta and those couples!
Thank you to Amy Lathrop and the Litfuze Hens, Caitlin Wilson, Audra Jennings, and Christen Krumm for supporting me and helping me stay connected with my readers … and for the gazillion other things you do!
I appreciate the Zondervan/HarperCollins Christian Publishing Team: Sue Brower, Daisy Hutton, Bridget Klein, Becky Monds, Katie Bond, and Laura Dickerson. Also thank you, Leslie Peterson, for your great editing! I also send thanks to all the unsung heroes: the managers, designers, copy editors, sales people, financial folks, etc. who make a book possible.
I’m also thankful for my agent, Janet Grant. Your help, inspiration, and guidance are priceless.
And I’m thankful for my family:
John, my wonderful husband, and our kids (and grandkids!): Cory, Katie, Clayton, and Chloe. Leslie, Nathan, Bella, Alyssa, and Casey! Also, Nathan, Kayleigh, MaCayla, Audrie-Onna, and Donovan. What an amazing family.
Grandma Dolores, your love and laughter brighten my day.
Finally, God, for adopting me into Your forever family.
About the Author
TRICIA GOYER is the best-selling author of thirty-seven books, including the Big Sky and Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors Amish series. She is currently writing three more Amish stories and One Year of Amish Peace. Tricia’s Amish novels have made the ECPA and USA Today bestsellers list. Tricia and her husband, John, live in Little Rock, Arkansas. They have four children and are currently in the process of adopting two more.
Advance Acclaim for
A Christmas Gift for Rose
“Tricia Goyer’s A Christmas Gift for Rose is a heartwarming story of faith, family, and community. Her characters and descriptions are captivating, bringing the story to life with the turn of every page.”
— Amy Clipston, best-selling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series
“Goyer’s heartwarming, glowing tale of hope quickly captured my attention and embraced it until the last page.”
— Sherry Gore, author of Simply Delicious Amish Cooking and editor-in-chief of Cooking & Such magazine
“Thoughtfully written, A Christmas Gift for Rose will touch the heart of every mother and daughter. A story of a young woman fearful of her future learns of her mysterious past and through this adversity finds the true path for her life. The rich Amish history is compelling. By the end of the book, the reader will want more and more of the same.”
— Elizabeth Byler Younts, author of Amish historical Promise to Return
ALSO BY TRICIA GOYER
The Memory Jar
The Promise Box
ZONDERVAN
A Christmas Gift for Rose
Copyright © 2013 by Tricia Goyer
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the t
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EPub Edition © AUGUST 2013 ISBN: 9780310336822
This title is also available in a Zondervan audio edition. Visit www.zondervan.fm.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goyer, Tricia.
A Christmas gift for Rose / Tricia Goyer.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-310-33678-5 (trade paper)
1. Gifts—Fiction. 2. Christmas stories. I. Title.
PS3607.O94C57 2013
813’.6—dc23 2013009649
* * *
All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
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