Miracles on 34th Street--or yours

Have you ever done something that sort of felt like it had been touched by a magic wand?
Every author feels that each book they pen has something special about it. What makes the magic come to life is when someone reads the book and they let the author know that something wonderful has happened because of it. Such was the case this week about my favorite book, A Christmas Dream.

One of the things I don't like about e-mails is that you don't get a postmark, so you have no idea where the letter came from. I guess it really doesn't matter. It is just due to an overactive curiosity. I have no idea where this woman lives, but here is the essence of what she said.

The woman had a son who was killed in Iraq last year, shortly before Christmas. She said she wasn't sure she would ever be able to celebrate Christmas again. She also had a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren who apparently lived quite a distance from her.

I don't know who it was, but somebody told her about A Christmas Dream on http://internetvoicesradio.com. Last year I read the entire story, and it is available at the previous url. Just click on "Archives" in the main menu and scroll down until you come to it, then listen to it. It is divided up in segments, so you don't have to listen to the whole thing at one sitting.

The woman said that as soon as she listened to the first segment, she called her daughter-in-law and told her about it. They agreed to all listen to it at the same time every evening, the kids included. After it was over, they would call each other and discuss the story--and her son. When they got to the end of the book they all agreed that what they wanted most for Christmas was to be together. So, they decided to forgo the gifts they were going to send each other and buy a plane ticket for Grandma.

The end of the e-mail said, "How can we ever thank you? You have brought the joy of Christmas back to us. We have come to realize that we have a Christmas miracle--the memories of my son, her husband, and their father. We don't need things. We have each other. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!"

I have a funny feeling that somehow there will be some things under their Christmas tree. Miracles do still happen, especially at Christmas time.

Oh, and she added a "P.S." She wrote, "We will all be watching out the window from time to time, just in case a purple Volkswagon goes past."

If you want your very own copy of the printed book A Christmas Dream, order it on Amazon.com or most any other online bookstore, or ask your local bookseller if they have it. If they don't, they can order it. Even if it's after Christmas when you get it, miracles are good any day of the year. To make it easy, just click on the title of this blog at the top, "Miracle on 34th Street--or Yours" and it will take you directly to A Christmas Dream on Amazon.com.