AN AMISH CHRISTMAS by Kathleen Fuller, Beth Wiseman & Barbara Cameron

This was a set of three stories written by three different authors, but all take place in Paradise, PA and are centered around a specific Amish family. I really enjoyed all 3 stories, but "A Miracle for Miriam" by Kathleen Fuller was my favorite.

This is the first story in this Christmas Novella and what a good story it was.  I was cheering for Miriam all the way through and so appreciated the change in Seth.  I appreciated the fact that true beauty comes from within.  Seth is no longer the arrogant young boy he once was when he made fun of Miriam and broke her heart at the age of 14.  Now they have both grown up and after surviving an almost fatal car accident Seth is seeing life a little bit differently.  I loved this section of the story when Seth is realizing the true beauty of Miriam, “Granted, there were women out there with curvier figures and prettier faces, but now that didn't matter to him.  At one time it had; he couldn't deny that.  There was only one woman he was interested in, one woman who could drive him crazy one minute then sneak into his heart the next.  Miriam Herschberger.”  Seth must find a way to show Miriam he truly cares about her, and Miriam must come to learn to trust in Seth and in the fact that her beauty within can truly make someone like Seth see her as beautiful all over.  Yeah for the way this author championed those young ladies who don’t think they are pretty.  This was a good love story, very believable, and left me very well satisfied.

Story number two was about Miriam's sister, Lydia who has lost her husband and must now learn to forgive and trust her deceased husband's brother, Daniel when he shows up 18 years later on Miriam's doorstep after leaving long ago on Christmas Eve.  He was Lydia's first love and she never understood why he left so suddenly.  When the truth is revealed, Lydia must learn to forgive not only  Daniel, but her husband as well.

I really enjoyed the way the last story was written.  "One Child" was centered around David and Sarah, an Amish couple who lost their baby during the pregnancy last Christmas.  Now they struggle through this one.  But when a blizzard hits they find themselves taking in an "Englisch" couple, who are about to have a baby.  I loved the way these two couples came to know one another, understand the different lifestyles and appreciate the simplistic way of the Amish.  It was a heartfelt story as Sarah and David give of themselves when their own hearts are hurting and how the birth of a child can make a difference in each of their lives.

This was a novella I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.