Changing Traditions, A Christmas Novella (9 page)

Deep breath. Think
positive thoughts.

As I said, I have two
older sisters. My oldest brother Jesse married Heather Bow in
February, 1859. They now live behind my house and through the
woods. It isn't very far, especially for a girl like me.

My step-brothers, Henry
and Jake, and I love to take walks through the woods. Well, they
are more like adventures. They used to not like it when I tagged
along, claiming that girls can't do the same things that boys do. I
soon proved them wrong. Now they pretty much allow me to go
anywhere I want with them.

Rosemary is the most
energetic of our family. She is my half-sister, born to my Poppa
and step-Momma. For only being a year and a half, Rosemary
certainly knows how to get around. She often follows me. But maybe
that is because it is usually my job to keep an eye on her. When
Momma and Bethany are in the kitchen, as soon as I finish chores or
schoolwork, I am asked to watch her until dinner.

Carolyn is home some too,
but now that she and Scott Harp are (finally!!) courting, we don't
see much of her. She is typically at the Harp's house or else Scott
is at our house. Carolyn visits Jesse and Heather as well. I think
she is yearning for when she will have her own house. Though I
suppose I will miss her quite a bit.

I am not sure how to end,
so I guess… good night? Though it does seem quite strange to be
wishing my diary good night.

A Special Thanks
to

God…who has been my hope
and rock. For sending His Son to earth and being the reason we
celebrate Christmas.

Dad & Mom…for
continuing to encourage me through all my writing endeavors and
editing my work.

Shawn…for encouraging me
to try my hand at writing a novella and keep pushing me for my
best.

Tara…for editing my
novella and catching my missing words.

Author of
Finding
Faith,
Discovering Hope
, and
Accepting Change,
Rachel Rittenhouse has been writing for as long
as she can remember. At the age of 17, she published her first
book
Finding Faith
and her dream of becoming a published writer finally came
true. Since she grew up loving to read, Rachel remembers the
struggle to find wholesome books worth reading for young girls
growing in their faith. She strives to write that type of book and
because she loves historical fiction, most of her books are set in
a past time period. In addition to reading and writing, she enjoys
playing clarinet, spending time with her family, going to her
church youth group, and babysitting some pretty adorable kids!
Rachel is working at her writing, while taking online courses
through Liberty University.

Follow me for updates
at
www.RachelRittenhouse.com