Simba's book review

  "The Love between a Mother and daughter is forever.  The bond between their hearts is unbreakable.  The connection between their souls is eternal"  Simply Well Balanced Pine Ridge, Colorado:  a quaint, pictturesque, charming town where visitors feel wrapped up in Christmas love like a warm quilt.  If you love Hallmark Christmas movies, Debbie Macomber, or just want a beautiful, cozy Christmas story, that is more than just a romance novel, you have to read Savannah Carlisle's newest book Christmas at Pine Ridge Inn.  Yes, there is the love story between Lila McAllister and inn manager, Brady, but this story is so much more than that.  It is a beautiful story of a mother/daughter finding each other 34 years after the birth of a Christmas baby girl.     Lila, 34 years old, a hospitality consultant,  is facing her first Christmas without her adopted mother.   With both her adoptive parents now gone, she is alone without...

"When a deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive."  Alan Paton It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Now that Halloween is past, we are officially entering the Thanksgiving/Christmas season.  Starbucks will soon have their Christmas or holiday seasonal drinks, the Christmas trees will soon go up, and plans for a special, memorable Christmas will be under way for many.  There are those who for many reasons, however, just strive to get through the next few months.  They may have past hurt or trauma from their childhood, painful memories associated with Christmas.  Even the Grinch and Ebeneezer Scrooge had a past that led them the point in their stories where they had no Christmas cheer.  Melody Carlson, in her new Christmas novella, gives readers a glimpse into how or why this can happen, but with the hope of how a little bit of love, family, and forgiveness can melt even the hardest of hearts. In Once Upon a Christmas readers...

  "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left."  Isaiah 30:21 Life is a journey, and our path is filled with many hills and valleys.  For believers, we hold onto the promises of the Lord in scripture that our Sovereign Lord is leading us and directing our paths.  As David promises in Psalm 23,  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me."  We are not promised easy, just that the Lord, our Good Shepherd will never leave or forsake us.  Even when we get lost along the journey, our Heavenly Father will guide us gently back through those he puts in our lives and the places he leads us.   In those unexpected places, sometimes, is where you will find the healing and peace that you have been searching for. The Noel Bridge  by Jenny Hale, is a beautifully written Christmas romance, that like many of th...