What would happen if you found out someone has been impersonating you?

In my novel, The Forgiving Jar, which releases next month, Sara Murray had never met her mother’s parents and was surprised to learn after Mama’s death that her grandparents were living in Pennsylvania. When she is finally able to make the trip to meet them, and discovers they are Amish, Sara is shocked to learn someone else has been living with them and pretending to be her. Sara can’t understand how quickly her grandparents are willing to forgive the imposter.

Secrets and deceit seem to follow Sara, and she is so tired of it. Though soon, she meets Brad Fuller who is visiting her grandparents during Christmas. She likes him a lot, but when she is not totally honest with him, he pulls away from her.

Struggling, Sara finds an old canning jar hidden in the basement of her grandparents’ home that is full of encouraging prayers. Can Sara find a way to forgive the past and move on to building new relationships?

Has someone you know refused to forgive you for something you may have said or done to hurt them? Or is there someone who has hurt you in the past that you need to forgive? What better way to begin the New Year than to start it with a forgiving heart?

At Christmastime, there are no decorated trees or blinking lights adorning Amish people’s homes. They do, however, make special cookies and candies as part of the holiday activity. Some Amish will string the Christmas cards they receive around a room in their home, or may set out some candles and greenery. The school children also put on a Christmas program for their friends and family at the schoolhouse, where they share poems, recitations, and songs. The scholars will often exchange gifts with others in their class. On Christmas morning, the Amish gather with their families for devotions, and then the children open their gifts. In the afternoon the Amish get together for a family meal. If Christmas Day falls near the end of the week, some church districts will hold their services on Christmas morning instead of the usual Sunday service.

In our “English” home we also have some special Christmas traditions. On Christmas Eve, after sharing a simple meal with some of our family members, we attend the candlelight service at our church, which includes singing Christmas Carols. When the service is over, we return to our son’s home to open gifts and enjoy some snacks or sweet treats. My husband and I usually host Christmas dinner in our home, and he enjoys cooking a turkey or ham. The decorations, tasty food, and gift-giving is secondary to the true meaning of Christmas, however. Focusing on the knowledge that God sent His only Son to earth as a gift for all who would believe on His name, is the best Christmas tradition of all.

What are some ways you and your family celebrate Christmas? Do you have any special traditions?

Most people have a special Thanksgiving recipe or holiday tradition, including the Amish. One tradition my father passed on to me was how to make a savory dressing to stuff inside the turkey before baking. My mother taught me how to make pumpkin and apple pies, which were also delicious. Today I would like to share one of my Amish friend’s special Thanksgiving recipes with you.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

1 cup pumpkin or squash, cooked
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons flour
4 eggs yolks
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2 – 9 inch pie shells, unbaked

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, flour, egg yolks, milk, and vanilla together until well blended. Fold in egg whites that have been stiffly beaten. Pour into the pie shells. Bake for 1 hour or until knife that has been inserted in the pie comes out clean. Yield: 2 pies

What is your favorite Thanksgiving recipe, and do you have any special holiday traditions that have been passed on from generation to generation?