Deb’s Dozen: 12-Word Summaries – Depressed, defiant widow teaching in Mayan Mexico. Kidnapped. God knows His plans.

Julia Lawson is depressed. Her beloved husband, Tom, had died of a heart attack at 46. For two years she’s mourned him, unable to drag herself out of the depths of her despair. Her kids, her parents, and her friends encourage her to rejoin life, and gradually Julia begins to come alive again. A chance remark by her mother reignites a long-buried dream of Julia’s – to teach abroad. She becomes convinced that this opportunity is for her, and is her one best chance to find meaning again. Against her parents’ and her children’s advice, Julia heads to Chiapas, Mexico for a year to teach in a private school.

I loved Julia – and I understood her. I’ve struggled with depression myself, and know how easy staying in the darkness becomes the longer you linger there. Unless you’ve been there, you want to tell depressed people to “knock it off,” to “get a life,” that “life is worth living if you’ll just try.” I found her journey intriguing and was pleasantly surprised at various turning points in the story. I was proud of her for daring to live her dream. Little did she realize that she was in for a life-changing experience – that as the cover text relates, “She just didn’t know how deeply the events leading up to Christmas, the growing affections of a local pastor, and one simple Christmas Eve service would change her entire life.”

Kathi Macias is an award-winning writer with more that 40 books to her credit. Her stories are always believable and often undertake the difficult issues of life. She’s written about sex-trafficking, about those persecuted for their faith, and a delightful series about “Quilts.” You will enjoy this latest book of Kathi’s. A Christmas Gift truly is a gift – one you should give yourself as well as to friends. Buy several copies!

I was given a complimentary copy of A Christmas Gift by New Hope Publishing for my unbiased review.