A Christmas Miracle

For Gillian Sherwood, the end of her marriage and her move back home brought a mix of emotions, especially an unwillingness to trust her feelings. Discovering all her childhood treasures, including beloved Christmas ornaments, had been lost in a flood incident was sad, but she had a dream job building historical dioramas at the local museum and dear friends nearby. Everything seemed lovely, until her parents said they were giving her grandmother's farmhouse, which was supposed to go to Gillian, to the new pastor taking over for her dad. Her legacy was going to Niall O'Connor, recently from Ireland.

How was she supposed to deal with this, she asked her faithful Parson Russell terrier Charlie, who always listened carefully. Seeing her Christmas tree in the living room bare of the ornaments she'd remembered so well, imagining she'd be stuck in her apartment forever, Gillian decided to recreate a life-sized diorama to represent a warm and inviting Victorian Christmas for the local museum display. She only had three weeks, but magical things began to happen, and finding a perfect replica of an 1800s music box at the Christmas Market, and a vendor who told her she had "the gift."

Gillian stayed distant from the new pastor, until she listened to his sermon on the meaning of compassion and felt comfort for the first time in a long time. And realized that in his presence she also was discovering an unexpected love.