In my latest release, a novella entitled Mr. Christmas and Miss Scrooge, part of the Love in Mistletoe Springs collection, my hero had to make some
sacrifices in his life to move home and help his mother deal with her cancer.
Often writers are asked how much of ourselves we write into our stories. In
this case, I only wrote a bit. That may seem like a random change of topic, but
in reality it’s connected.
In November of 2001, my mother was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
Her biggest concern wasn’t for her own health, but mine. I was newly pregnant
with my sixth child. The next seven months were some of the hardest in my life.
She went in and out of the hospital several times. Toward the end of my
pregnancy she developed an inoperable tumor on her spine which paralyzed her
from the waist down. The doctor thought I would bring her to my home and care
for her, but I couldn’t. No matter how much I wanted to sacrifice for her, I
couldn’t provide her care to the detriment of the baby I carried or my other
five children—the oldest of which was ten—whom I home schooled. So, with a
heavy heart, we arranged for her to go into a nursing home where she died four
days after the birth of my son. I believe she waited until I had my baby to
allow herself to die.
To this day, over thirteen years later, I sometimes wonder if I
made the right decision. Could I have made the sacrifice and made her last
weeks on earth better surrounded by her family? And then I consider my
children, and I know I made the best choice for them.
Sometimes the desire in our hearts wars with what is right. For
my family, bringing my mother home with me would
have been disastrous. For
someone else in a similar situation it would have worked out fine.
 |
| Ginger Solomon |
First John 4:10 shows us about real sacrifice. “This is real
love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
[NLT, emphasis mine]
And he asks us to make a sacrifice to Him as well. Hebrews 13:15
says, “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God,
proclaiming our allegiance to his name.”[NLT, emphasis mine]
For the hero in my story, it wasn’t too much for him to
sacrifice his lucrative job in the city to move back to Mistletoe Springs to
help take care of his mom. And while there, he found something he wouldn’t have
found otherwise…love.
Have you had to make a sacrifice for someone you love?
MEET GINGER SOLOMON:
Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to
seven, and a writer — in that order (mostly). When not homeschooling her
youngest four, doing laundry or fixing dinner, she writes or reads romance of
any genre, some sci-fi/fantasy, and some suspense. She’s a member of American
Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and writes
regularly for two blogs. In addition to all that, she loves animals, likes to
do needlework (knitting, crocheting, and sometimes cross-stitch), and is a fan
of Once Upon a Time and Dr. Who.
Blurb for Love in
Mistletoe Springs:
The Mistletoe Springs animal shelter loses their grant,
endangering the lives of countless stray dogs, cats, even birds and turtles.
The community attempts to save the shelter by running a Christmas in July
fundraiser. Groups of volunteers scramble to get all the details together while
managing their personal lives. For ten people, love gets in the way.
Blurb for Mr.
Christmas and Miss Scrooge:
Mitch Silverton agreed to be in charge of decorating for the
fundraiser. And he needs his boss, Margaret Holberg, to donate her family's
vast array of decorations to make the day unforgettable. BUT...
She's not sharing. Christmas is not a holiday she wants to celebrate in July, and saving the animal shelter is not high on her list of important things to do.
He wants her to share more than the decorations. He wants her heart. Will he succeed in changing Miss Scrooge into Mrs. Christmas?
She's not sharing. Christmas is not a holiday she wants to celebrate in July, and saving the animal shelter is not high on her list of important things to do.
He wants her to share more than the decorations. He wants her heart. Will he succeed in changing Miss Scrooge into Mrs. Christmas?
My links:
Buy link for Love in Mistletoe Springs
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