Joyful (27 page)

About the book

Letter from the Author

Dear Reader,

Thank you for joining me for another visit to Sugarcreek! I hope you enjoyed getting to know Miriam and Elizabeth and Christina, the Beilers, Aden, Jana, Pippa, and, of course, James.

As with most of my books, the title was a guiding point for me. I spent a lot of time thinking about “joy” and how it relates to my faith, my family, romance, and hope. I even had some discussions with Mary, the cover designer, about what a joyful heroine should look like! I'm sure that was a bit challenging for her, because I'm pretty good at describing characters' personalities, but not nearly as good at describing what the characters look like in my head.

One night I was talking to my husband about “joy,” discussing themes and things that brought joy in life when all of a sudden we looked at each other and smiled.

When our son, Arthur, was a baby, Tom and I were pretty young. We didn't live near any family, so most of the time we would do our best and hope it was good enough. I'm only sharing this because I think God gave us a little present right about the time Art was four months old. See, he had a double smile. When he was happy, he smiled. But when he was really happy? Really, absolutely delighted? His expression would be just a little bit brighter, his smile a little bit bigger. We used to live for those double-smile moments . . . that instant of pure joy.

I've felt joy at church, with my writing buddies, with my husband when we're just simply happy. In the kitchen when I have time to make cookies. When I'm sitting on the couch reading a good book next to my dachshunds. Lots of simple, everyday moments when I realize that I am probably wearing a double-smile of my own.

I hope you, too, find many moments in your life for double smiles and joy.

As always, thank you for reading my books. Thank you for sharing them with friends and family. And thank you, too, for giving me so much joy.

 

 

  
1.
  
The guiding scripture verse for Joyful was from Psalm 97:11:
Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right.
While writing the novel, I thought a lot about the joy I feel in my relationship with the Lord. What does the verse make you think about?

  
2.
  
I really felt that the following Amish Proverb fit the Beiler family:
A house is made from walls and beams . . . A home is made of love and dreams.
How have you made your house into a home?

  
3.
  
The concept of “family” and the things that make a family was one of the themes I thought about when writing the novel. What do you think makes a family? How do the dynamics change over time?

  
4.
  
Randall makes a lot of mistakes in his journey toward finding love with Elizabeth. Should Elizabeth have forgiven him so easily? How would you have reacted to his decisions?

  
5.
  
What did you think about Elizabeth and her actions toward Randall? Does she grow as a character?

  
6.
  
Which Beiler family member would you like to see fall in love next?

  
7.
  
The journey toward parenthood for Judith and Ben was an especially difficult one. What do you think will happen with them in the future? Do you think James will be their only child, or do you think they'd be willing to go through so much again for another child?

  
8.
  
One of my favorite scenes is when Judith gets some needed advice from her mother. What is the best piece of advice that you've received from your mother about motherhood?

Read on

A Sneak Peek of Shelley Shepard Gray's Next Book,
Snowfall

M
ARTIN HAD BECOME A MASTER
at sipping a coffee and pretending that he wasn't nearly as worried as he actually was. But if there was ever a time when he found it rather difficult, it was this morning.

And that was because they were currently waiting for one Ruth Stutzman. He knew next to nothing about her. They belonged to different church districts. He couldn't remember ever meeting her in town, either.

Though that shouldn't have been a great surprise. He didn't ever notice women, even women whom his friends slyly mentioned were giving him special smiles or were going out of their way to chat with him. As far as he was concerned, his heart belonged to Grace and it always would.

After walking to the stove and warming up his cup, Martin realized that he didn't know much about Ruth Stutzman at all. Only that she was a friend of Lovina Keim's and that she'd agreed to take a leave of absence from her job at the retirement home to help him care for his children during Christmas break.

Everything about the situation grated on him. He didn't like the fact that Lovina Keim had called him last night after eight o'clock and informed him that she'd found him a new babysitter.

When he'd asked how such a thing had come about, she'd relayed that she'd told Ruth all about him. And all about his motherless
kinner.
And how he couldn't cook and he was in dire need of a helping hand. Or several helping hands.

He'd been so appalled, he'd almost hung up.

But because he had no idea how to contact this Ruth, and he had no other option for the children other than packing them up and taking them to work at the Christmas tree farm, he'd instead conveyed his thanks.

But that didn't mean he liked being known as a helpless widower, or that he appreciated that folks at the Daybreak Retirement Home were talking about him.

It hurt a man's pride to be thought of as a charity case.

It almost physically hurt to realize that he was going to have to accept this Ruth Stutzman's help no matter what. He was that desperate. The trees weren't going to get chopped and transported by themselves. It was his job. Which was why he'd said yes to Ruth, though just imagining what Ruth was like made him cringe.

Already he was imagining an older woman with a bossy nature. After all, who else but a woman like that would be friends with Lovina Keim?

No doubt she would barely tolerate his brood, frown a lot, and speak her mind even when no one asked for her opinion.

If they were lucky.

And though he would never allow a woman into his home who would be mean to his
kinner
, he was enough of a realist to realize that taking care of six
kinner
like his was enough to make even the kindest and patient of women become a bit shrewish. Even his lovely Grace had lost her patience a time or two over the course of a day.

And because of that, Martin knew his children would be sad and miserable. And, perhaps, a touch resentful that while their many friends were out playing, baking cookies, and doing whatever else small children liked to do over Christmas breaks, they were having to spend their days in the company of a grumpy old woman named Ruth.

And after working all day at the Christmas tree farm, he was going to have to return each day, prepared to listen and cajole his children to try to deal with Ruth just a little bit longer.

He loved his children dearly. He'd loved his Grace, too, and had been delighted that she'd wanted such a big family. And for a time, their lives had seemed charmed.

And then not so charmed at all.

Yes, the Lord had shown him time and again that wishes and dreams didn't always count for much.

It had been a difficult lesson to learn but it had also been a valuable one.

“Daed, do you see her?” Thomas asked from the doorway leading into the dining room that they never used anymore.

“Not yet.”

“Is she late?”

Thomas was a busy, buzzing child. As restless as a beaver on holiday and twice as inquisitive.
“Nee
, son. She ain't late yet.”

“Then why are you staring out the window and frowning?”

“I'm simply looking out the window and thinking. There's a difference.”

“Ah.” Pulling over one of the dining room chairs, Thomas settled by his side and mimicked his pose. “What are you thinking about?”

“This and that.”

“Are you thinking about Christmas?” His question had just the right amount of hope in it to make Martin's lips curve up.

“I'm thinking about Christmas trees.”

Thomas sighed. “That's all you think about.”

“That is not true. I think about lots of other things, too.”

“But mainly you think about trees.”

Not in any hurry to share just how much he worried about Thomas and his siblings, Martin lifted his chin. “Son, those trees occupy a good portion of my mind these days for a
gut
reason. They're important to our livelihood. We need to sell lots of trees this year.”

“Oh? Do ya think, maybe, we could have a tree in our house?”

At least one of the children asked this every year. “Nope.”

“Even if it was a small, ugly one?”

“Not even then.”

Thomas swung his feet. Shifted. Stood up and pressed his nose to the cold windowpane. After staring out the window thirty seconds, it was obvious he was bored. “Can I come with you today? I could help.”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because we're cutting and loading trees today, son.”

“I could help.”

“I'm afraid you can't. It's dangerous work. I don't want you to get hurt.”

He straightened his narrow shoulders. “I'm pretty strong.”

It took everything Martin had to keep a serious expression. “You are a mighty fine boy. And you are strong for being only eight. But I'm afraid you're not big enough to help. Not yet. One day you will, though.”

“When? Next year?”

“I'm thinking when you're twelve.”

Thomas's eyes widened, then settled into his scowl. “That's forever from now.”

“You should enjoy being eight, then.”

“I'm sick of staying home with old ladies.”

Resting his hand on his boy's shoulders, Martin added, “I know it's hard, but someone needs to look after you all.”

“It's boring. All Mrs. Keim wanted to do was sit in the kitchen and watch the clock.”

Martin figured it would be best to say nothing about that. “Regardless, I have a feeling someday you'll be working so hard you'll be wishing for days like this.”

“Days when I'm waiting for another grumpy babysitter? I don't think so.”

“We don't know for sure if this one will be grumpy.”

“Daed, she works with old people all day,” Thomas said with the supreme confidence that only a child could have. “She's gonna be grumpy.”

Since Martin felt his son had a point, he pressed his lips together and started simply hoping for a reprieve from the questions.

It was almost a relief to see the horse and buggy clip-clopping up the driveway. “We shall soon find out, won't we?” Turning, he saw that his Katrina had the rest of the
kinner
lined up against the window in the other room. They were standing in front of the window and looking out with various expressions of forbearance and dismay.

He stood up and carefully tucked his chair back to the kitchen table and motioned for Thomas to do the same. Then he stepped into the dining room and quietly spoke. “You all stay here while I go out and greet Ruth.”

“Can you make sure she's nice, Daed?” Meg asked, her eyes filled with hope.

Reaching out, he pressed his hand on the top of his youngest child's
kapp.
“I will do my best,” he promised.

While the children watched, Martin slipped on his coat, positioned his black stocking cap on his head, then walked out the door just as the buggy came to a stop in front of one of the hitching posts in front of the house, hoping all the while that this Ruth was going to be nicer than he expected her to be.