by Valorie Quesenberry | Dec 16, 2017 | angel, Christmas, December, Jesus, Mary, short story
My name is Mary. When I was born, there were many girls with this name. And just like my name was common, so was everything else about me. I had the same dark eyes and hair of my people, olive skin, and a nose just the least bit prominent. As I grew up, my stature was...
by Valorie Quesenberry | Dec 15, 2017 | barns, Christmas, cookie cutter, cookies, December, farmhouse, grandmothers, short story
As Catherine took the cheap, tin cookie cutters from their jar, she remembered the story. She always did when she made Christmas cookies with Grandma Kitty’s cutters. It was a story passed down for 2 generations — from mother to daughter while they shaped stars...
by Valorie Quesenberry | Dec 13, 2017 | angels, Christmas, December, lodge, short story, trees, widow, Yellowstone National Park
I never dreamed I would spend Christmas Eve away from my native Midwestern roots, without the comfort of family and familiar foods. But, then I never dreamed I would be a widow at age 29 either. But both are true. And now, by the generosity of a fellow teacher, I am...
by Valorie Quesenberry | Dec 11, 2017 | Christmas, Minnesota, Santa Lucia, short story, snow, Sweden
The wind on the lake flung ice crystals against the glass window pane of the cabin. Britta could barely see the fir trees in front. Such a storm! The cabin was warm enough; the rocking chair made by her husband’s skilled hands sat in front of the fireplace, a cheery...
by Valorie Quesenberry | Dec 9, 2017 | children, Christmas, mothers, short story, stress
The calendar on the refrigerator had so many dates circled it looked like a geometry test. The kitchen sink was piled with white bowls and plates like a mouth crowded with teeth. A laundry basket in the hallway grinned mockingly, the red sock hanging over the side...
