{"id":485,"date":"2008-09-23T09:11:48","date_gmt":"2008-09-23T14:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/\/?p=485"},"modified":"2008-09-23T09:11:48","modified_gmt":"2008-09-23T14:11:48","slug":"white-christmas-pie-by-wanda-brunstetter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=485","title":{"rendered":"White Christmas Pie by Wanda Brunstetter"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It is time to play a Wild Card<\/span>!<\/strong> <\/span>Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a>. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his\/her book’s FIRST chapter!<\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n
WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

and her book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

White Christmas Pie<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbour Publishing, Inc (September 1, 2008) <\/strong><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/h3>\n

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>Fascinated by the Amish people during the years of visiting her husband’s family in Pennsylvania, WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER combined her interest with her writing and now has eleven novels about the Amish in print, along with numerous other stories and ministry booklets. She lives in Washington State, where her husband is a pastor, but takes every opportunity to visit Amish settlements throughout the states.<\/p>\n

Visit her at her website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/address>\n
<\/address>\n
<\/address>\n
<\/address>\n
Product Details:<\/address>\n
List Price: $10.97
\nPaperback: 304 pages
\nPublisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (September 1, 2008)
\nLanguage: English
\nISBN-10: 1597899372
\nISBN-13: 978-1597899376<\/address>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Three-Year-Old Girl Abandoned in Small Town Park.<\/p>\n

A lump formed in Will Henderson\u2019s throat as he stared\u00a0 at the headline in the morning newspaper. Not another abandoned child!<\/p>\n

The little girl had been left alone on a picnic table in a small Michigan town. She had no identification and couldn\u2019t tell the officials anything more than her first name and the fact that her mommy and daddy were gone. While the police searched for the girl\u2019s parents, she would be put in a foster home.<\/p>\n

Will\u2019s fingers gripped the newspaper. How could anyone abandon his own child? Didn\u2019t the little girl\u2019s parents love her? Didn\u2019t they care how their abandonment would affect the child? Didn\u2019t they care about anyone but themselves?<\/p>\n

Will dropped the paper to the kitchen table and let his head fall forward into his hands as a rush of memories pulled him back in time. Back to when he was six years old. Back to a day he wished he could forget. . .<\/p>\n

Will released a noisy yawn and rolled over. Seeing Pop\u2019s side of the bed was empty, he pushed the heavy quilt aside, scrambled out of bed, and raced over to the window. When he lifted the dark green shade and peeked through the frosty glass, his breath caught in his throat. The ground and trees in the Stoltzfuses\u2019 backyard were covered in white!<\/p>\n

\u201cPop was right; we\u2019ve got ourselves some snow!\u201d Will darted across the room, slipped out of his nightshirt, and hurried to get dressed. He figured Pop must be outside helping Mark Stoltzfus do his chores.<\/p>\n

When Will stepped out of the bedroom, his nose twitched, and his stomach rumbled. The tangy smell coming from the kitchen let him know that the Amish woman named Regina was probably making breakfast.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t snow on Christmas like Pop said it would, but it\u2019s sure snowin\u2019 now!\u201d Will shouted as he raced into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Regina Stoltzfus turned from the stove and smiled at Will, her dark eyes gleaming in the light of the gas lantern hanging above the table. \u201cJah, it sure is. It would have been nice if we\u2019d had a white Christmas, but the Lord decided to give us some fluffy white stuff today, instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will wiggled his bare feet on the cold linoleum floor, hardly able to contain himself. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to play in the snow with Pop. Maybe we can build a snowman.\u201d He rushed to the back door, stood on his toes, and peered out the small window. \u201cIs Pop helpin\u2019 Mark milk the cows?\u201d<\/p>\n

Regina came to stand beside Will. \u201cYour dad\u2019s not helping Mark do his chores this morning,\u201d she said, placing one hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

Will looked up at her and squinted. \u201cHe\u2019s not?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t you find the note he wrote you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, sure didn\u2019t. Why\u2019d Pop write me a note?\u201d<\/p>\n

Regina motioned to the table. \u201cLet\u2019s have a seat, shall we?\u201d When she pulled out a chair, he plunked right down.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter you went to bed last night, your dad had a talk with me and Mark,\u201d she said, taking the seat beside him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d ya talk about? Did Pop tell ya thanks for lettin\u2019 us stay here and for fixin\u2019 us Christmas dinner yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did say thanks for those things, but he said something else, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d he say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Regina\u2019s eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle. Her face looked kind of sad. \u201cYour dad said he would leave a note for me to read you, Will. Are you sure there wasn\u2019t
\na note on your pillow or someplace else in your room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t see no note. Why would Pop leave a note for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Regina touched his arm. \u201cYour dad left early this morning, Will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLeft? Where\u2019d he go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo make his delivery, and then he\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Will\u2019s eyebrows shot up. \u201cPop left without me?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cHe asked if we\u2019d look after you while he\u2019s trying to find a different job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will shook his head vigorously. \u201cPop wouldn\u2019t leave without me. I know he wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did, Will. That\u2019s why he planned to leave you a note\u2014so you would understand why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will jumped out of his chair, raced up the stairs, and dashed into the bedroom he and Pop had shared since they\u2019d come to stay with Mark and Regina Stoltzfus a few days ago. There was no note on the pillow. No note on the dresser or nightstand, either. Will ran over to the closet and threw open the door. Pop\u2019s suitcase was gone!<\/p>\n

Will\u2019s knee bumped against the table, bringing his thoughts back to the present.<\/p>\n

He lifted his head and glanced down at Sandy, his honey-colored cocker spaniel, who stared up at him with soulful brown eyes. \u201cDid you bump my leg, girl?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandy whimpered in response.<\/p>\n

Ever since Will had been a boy, he\u2019d wanted a dog of his own, but Pop had said a dog wasn\u2019t a good idea for people who lived in a semitruck as they traveled down the road. Papa Mark had seen the need for a dog, though. A few months after Will had come to live with Mark and Regina, he\u2019d been given a cocker spaniel puppy. He had named the dog Penny because she was the color of a copper penny. Penny had been a good dog, but she\u2019d died two years ago. Will had gotten another cocker spaniel he\u2019d named Sandy. He\u2019d bred the dog with his friend Harley\u2019s male cocker, Rusty. Sandy was due to have her pups in a few weeks.<\/p>\n

Sandy nudged Will\u2019s leg again, and he reached down to pat her silky head. \u201cDo you need to go out, girl, or are you just getting anxious for your hundlin to be born?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandy licked his hand then flopped onto the floor with a grunt. Maybe she only wanted to keep him company. Maybe she felt his pain.<\/p>\n

The lump in Will\u2019s throat tightened as he fought to keep his emotions under control. A grown man shouldn\u2019t cry over something that happened almost sixteen years ago. He\u2019d shed plenty of tears after Pop had gone, and it had taken him a long time to come to grips with the idea that Pop wasn\u2019t coming back to get him. Tears wouldn\u2019t change the fact that Will had been abandoned just like the little girl in the newspaper. He wished there was a way he could forget the past\u2014take an eraser and wipe it out of his mind. But the memories lingered no matter how hard he tried to blot them out.<\/p>\n

Will\u2019s gaze came to rest on the propane-operated stove where Mama Regina did her cooking. At least he had some pleasant memories to think about. Fifteen years ago, he had moved with Papa Mark and Mama Regina from their home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to LaGrange County, Indiana, where they now ran a dairy farm and health food store. On the day of that move, Will had made a decision: He was no longer English. He was happy being Amish, happy being Mama Regina and Papa Mark\u2019s only son.<\/p>\n

Now, as a fully grown Amish man, he was in love with Karen Yoder and looked forward to spending the rest of his life with her. They would be getting married in a few months\u2014two weeks before Christmas. Will didn\u2019t need the reminder that he had an English father he hadn\u2019t seen in almost sixteen years. As far as he was concerned, Papa Mark and Mama Regina were his parents, and they would be the ones who would witness his and Karen\u2019s wedding ceremony. Pop was gone from his life, just like Will\u2019s real mother, who had died almost a year before Pop had left. Will\u2019s Amish parents cared about him and had since the first day he\u2019d come to live with them. They\u2019d even invited Will and Karen to live in their house after they were married.<\/p>\n

As Will\u2019s thoughts continued to bounce around, he became tenser. Despite his resolve to forget the past, he could still see Pop\u2019s bright smile and hear the optimism in his voice as he tried to convince Will that things would work out for them after Mom had been hit by a car. Pop had made good on his promise, all right. He\u2019d found Will a home with Regina and Mark Stoltzfus. In all the years Pop had been gone, Will hadn\u2019t seen or heard a word from him. It was as though Pop had vanished from the face of the earth.<\/p>\n

A sense of bitterness enveloped Will\u2019s soul as he reflected on the years he\u2019d wasted, waiting, hoping for his father\u2019s return. Is Pop still alive? If so, where is he now, and why hasn\u2019t he ever contacted me? If Pop stood before me right now, what would I say? Would I thank him for leaving me with a childless Amish couple who have treated me as if I were their own flesh and blood? Or would I yell at Pop and tell him I\u2019m no longer his son and want nothing to do with him?<\/p>\n

Will turned back to the newspaper article about the little girl who\u2019d been abandoned. \u201cIt\u2019s not right,\u201d he mumbled when he got to the end of the story. \u201cIt\u2019s just not right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s not right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Will looked up at Mama Regina, who stood by the table with a strange expression. He pointed to the newspaper and shook his head. \u201cThis isn\u2019t right. It\u2019s not right at all!\u201d<\/p>\n

She took a seat beside him and picked up the paper. As she read the article, her lips compressed into a thin line, causing tiny wrinkles to form around her mouth. \u201cIt\u2019s always a sad thing when a child is abandoned,\u201d she murmured.<\/p>\n

Will nodded. \u201cI was doing fine until I read that story. I was content, ready to marry Karen, and thought I had put my past to rest. The newspaper article made me think\u2014made me remember things from my past that I\u2019d rather forget.\u201d He groaned. \u201cI don\u2019t want to remember the past. It\u2019s the future that counts\u2014the future with Karen as my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mama Regina leaned closer to Will and rested her hand on his arm. \u201cThe plans you\u2019ve made for the future are important, but as I\u2019ve told you many times before, you don\u2019t want to forget your past.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would you have me remember\u2014the fact that my real mamm died when I was only five, leaving Pop alone to raise me? Or am I supposed to remember how it felt when I woke up nearly sixteen years ago on the day after Christmas and discovered that Pop had left me at your house and never said good-bye?\u201d As the words rolled off Will\u2019s tongue, he couldn\u2019t keep the bitterness out of his tone or the tears from pooling in his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know the reason your daed didn\u2019t leave you a note when he left that day, and I don\u2019t know why he never came back to get you.\u201d Tears shimmered in Mama Regina\u2019s eyes as she pushed a wisp of dark hair under the side of her white cone-shaped head covering. \u201cThere is one thing I do know, however.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day of the sixteen years you\u2019ve lived with us, I have thanked God that your daed read one of the letters I had written to your mamm when she was still alive. I\u2019m also thankful that your daed brought you to us during his time of need and that Mark and I were given the chance to raise you as if you were our own son.\u201d She smiled as she patted Will\u2019s arm in her motherly way. \u201cWe\u2019ve had some wonderful times since you came to live with us. I hope you have many pleasant memories of your growing-up years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJah, of course I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mama Regina glanced down at Sandy and smiled. \u201cThink of all the fun times you had, first with Penny and now with Sandy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd think about the time your daed built you a tree house and how the two of you used to sit up there and visit while you munched on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sipped fresh milk from our dairy cows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will clasped her hand. \u201cYou and Papa Mark have been good parents to me, and I want you to know that I appreciate all you\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know you do, and we\u2019ve been glad to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven so, it was Pop\u2019s responsibility to raise me. The least he could have done was to send you some money to help with my expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mama Regina shook her head. \u201cWe\u2019ve never cared about that. All we\u2019ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d Will slid his chair away from the table and stood. \u201cI think I\u2019ll get my horse and buggy ready and take a ride over to see Karen. Unless you\u2019re going to need my help in the store, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mama Regina shook her head. \u201cAn order of vitamins was delivered yesterday afternoon, so it needs to be put on the shelves. But Mary Jane Lambright\u2019s working today, and she can help with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess I\u2019d better check with Papa Mark and see if he needs me for anything before I take off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he plans to build some bins for storing bulk food items, but he\u2019ll be fine on his own with that.\u201d Mama Regina smiled. \u201cYou go ahead and see Karen. Maybe spending a little time with your bride-to-be will brighten your spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJah, that\u2019s what I\u2019m hoping.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget your zipple cap,\u201d she called as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d Will smiled as he pulled the cap from the wall peg. He was glad he and Mama Regina had talked\u2014it had made him feel a little better about things. He figured he would feel even better after he spent some time with Karen.<\/p><\/div>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/h3>\n

In White Christmas Pie<\/a>, Wanda Brunstetter once more gives the reader an intimate look into the life of the Amish. Will Henderson and Karen Yoder have made plans to marry in December. However, Will’s unresolved bitterness toward the father who left him with an Amish couple sixteen years ago threatens to change everything. Jealousy further complicates the issue.<\/p>\n

White Christmas Pie<\/a> was an enjoyable read if at times predictable. I was a little puzzled by all the accidents that happened with Will’s horses that hinted of maliciousness that was never resolved. I would recommend White Christmas Pie<\/a> to those who enjoy Wanda’s other books and stories about the Amish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his\/her book’s FIRST chapter! You never know when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=485"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":494,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485\/revisions\/494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}