Christmas Magic in Believing

By Sandra Garris Woolard

It was a new beginning, and Amber gave meaning to "love at first sight." She petted and rubbed me the moment she held me in her arms. Being the petite, cute, and adorable tortoiseshell kitten that I was and still am, she was as lucky to find me as I was to find her. It's that time of the year-the Christmas preparation, school ending for break, and visitors stopping by to chat. With all the exciting Christmas preparation going on in the kitchen, Amber did not pay attention to the front door, not catching as folks came to visit today. I discovered that I could pull the door open with my paw, and my curiosity was getting the best of me. Outside and lost...I could only assume, Amber would have noticed that I was missing. "Lost, you say! Well, I'm Rev. Bosco C. Hope at your rescue. The C stands for Cat and most call me BC. There is no reason to be scared as long as I'm around. So take a deep breath and relax and tell me your story." "So I want to get home. You're telling me that Christmas magic can guide me? I only have to believe." I have no other choice but to trust BC, which stood for Big Cat in my perception. The journey begins; I'm following in an unfamiliar area that could seem dangerous. I could see BC's ears move slowly; he was still as a statue. I could sense tension from BC; this was not a good sign. "Amber, Amber. Oh yes, I wanted to be home with Amber," I was muttering to myself with a timid meow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098006037

Book preview

cover.jpg

Christmas Magic in Believing

Sandra Garris Woolard

Copyright © 2019 by Sandra Garris Woolard

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 1

With all the exciting Christmas preparation going on in the kitchen, Amber did not pay attention to the front door, not catching as folks came to visit today. I discovered I could pull the door open with my paw, and my curiosity was getting the best of me. Just a glimpse of the outside, that’s all I wanted. I’ll just take a few steps onto the porch, and I’ll come right back in, I thought. I do not think anyone noticed me as I was venturing outside, including Amber. The cold air was actually refreshing from the heated kitchen. This isn’t too bad; I’ll just walk to the steps and then return, I thought with a meow. Standing on the top step, looking out toward the yard, I took in the view. The two oak trees in the front spaced nicely for shade during the summer. The long driveway with accent posts for the entrance. An extra-large mailbox for those packages that will be coming in the mail. I enjoyed the view and looking around at the few clouds in the sky while the slight breeze felt refreshing, ruffling my fur. Feeling frisky, I decided to venture down the steps. A short stroll around the yard would be reasonable, I thought.

Grr… Woof, woof, barking from the neighbor’s dog. His keen eyesight noticed me as he was standing at the edge of the yard. I could feel my fur rise on the back of my neck as the fear ran through to the tips of my claws.

Woof, woof, stronger bark he gave.

Jumping with fear and seeing that he was running toward me, I was sure he would catch me if I didn’t run. Afraid and frightened, I forgot which way to run toward the front door, confusion misguided my sense of direction and I ran. I was not aware of my surroundings, dashing in the opposite direction of the dog, across the street; I ran out of sight from Amber’s house. Other dogs began joining in with their barking. I didn’t look back in fear; I didn’t know if the other dogs were chasing me. My little legs just ran and ran. I was panting with adrenaline; I wasn’t watching where I was heading; I just ran, frightened of what was chasing me, and knowing I didn’t want to be caught. I was running through grass, under bushes, over concrete surfaces, mud puddles, and leaping over stones, branches, and unknown objects.

Every noise I heard seemed to frighten me—traffic noises, dogs barking, and unfamiliar voices seemed to mingle into one gigantic boom ringing in my ears. My vision seemed blurry, I couldn’t seem to focus and was overwhelmed. I wanted to stop and concentrate on hearing for Amber’s voice, if she were calling my name. I was so scared; it would be unlikely to hear with the overwhelming, jumbled noises. I just ran, jumped, and ran. Claws out, climbing a tree to hide, I realized I had never climbed a tree before. I was glancing around for my way back to the house, and each house was beginning to look alike with their window lights and Christmas decorations. Even the dogs barking from various directions seemed to sound the same. I wanted now to find a place to hide. I felt exposed, and this tree did not seem to be the safest place. Most of the leaves for hiding were gone. The limbs seem to crack more in the cold. I jumped from one branch to another and then a big leap to the ground. I was running blindly into the night.

Stopping to catch my breath in an open area where I could look around, I was suddenly blinded by car lights. I did not know where it had come from, but my heart raced as the car’s horn blared into my ear. I was leaping, dashing, and running again into the unknown. I was so scared; I could feel as if I were jumping right out of my skin. I need to hide, I thought. Darting under a bush; I was breathing fast and hard. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. As I attempted to pause and take a deep breath, I looked around and realized I did not recognize my surroundings. I had no idea where I was or where I was going. I crouched down, balanced on all four feet ready to spring into a run. I was as still as a statue, ears up like radar listening to the surrounding sounds. I could still hear dogs barking, but they seemed to be from a distance. Distance is good from the dogs but not from Amber’s house. Taking a deep breath, closing my eyes, I wanted to visually imagine what Amber would be doing.

I could only assume by now, Amber would have noticed I was missing. She would have grabbed her coat and a flashlight and be outside searching. I am choked up thinking about her so I could only imagine that she too would be choked up, struggling to hold back her tears as she called out my name.

If only, I could turn the clock back, back to when this day began. I was lying beneath the window, enjoying the warmth of the sunbeams penetrating through the window on my fur. I had no interest in the outside or feeling the cold December air. I would remain stretched out on the floor near the dining room table; relaxing to the warmth of the indoors with no worries on my mind. A day to take my time to wander from room to room until lazily stretching out to watch the different colored lights sparkling on the tree in the living room. I would gaze at their constant flicker and flash, almost hypnotic, but comforting as I would wait for Amber’s gentle touch when she pets me.

My eyes remaining closed while my mind was wandering off to some positive daydreaming, drifting slowly to remember how the fragrances of the Christmas decorations were so appealing and comforting even with me being chilled from the cold wind blowing. I could smell the pine scent of the Christmas tree, the cranberry-aroma candles that had been placed around the rooms and the cinnamon-baked goodies within the kitchen.

Knowing the coldness of winter was blowing in the holidays with all the excitement in the kitchen today, even with the extremely heated kitchen from baking, I should have stayed in the house. Instead of being lost, I could have taken a pleasant break from the hot kitchen by visiting with the guests that stopped in to chat. Amber always seemed