My Christmas celebration took a strange and unexpected twist last year. A bit of background first: I’d been diligently working on a new devotional called Bless Your Heart, contracted to be completed in late October (2024) and released the following summer (2025). Yep, that’s how long it takes to produce a traditionally published book.
I turned the manuscript in a week before the October 22 deadline. The publisher began the usual round after round of editing before the book was ready to go to the printer. The final editing round was submitted to the publisher at the beginning of December. I rejoiced that I finished in time to enjoy Christmas with special house guests arriving for the holy-days.
Nay, not so. Two days before Christmas, my apologetic editor asked me to rewrite 80 of the 365 devotions within 10 days, a period which included Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s. Due date: January 3.
I glued myself to my computer chair for 10 days and leaned heavily on the divine Motivator to complete the work. I missed most holiday festivities but nailed the deadline.
After hitting “send,” I took a relief walk. And as I rounded a corner in my neighborhood, still shell-shocked from the trauma of the previous 10 days, I encountered a perfect white contrail V in a cobalt-blue sky. V for ‘victory.’ I know some would say it was simply a coincidence, but I knew it was a customized blessing from my heavenly Father. No one else may have realized the sacrifice I’d made and the pressure I’d been under, but He did. He knew.
“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God,” (2 Corinthians 4:15 NIV).
I laughed. Then I cried. Grace notes from heaven do that to me.
After a six-week delay due to tariff confusion (most books are printed overseas), Bless Your Heart: Daily Devotions to Warm Your Heart & Feed Your Soul was released on August 2025. I hope you’ll look for it at your favorite online book outlet or bookstore. And have a blessed Christmas!
