Everlasting Light: A Civil War Novella

The American Civil War has ended, but Alaina McKenna still awaits news about her husband, Braeden. Did he die in a Yankee prison? Was he buried in a shallow grave on a Virginia battlefield? Or has he turned his back on the specter of death and loss around him and sought solitude west of the Mississippi River, never to return home, again? As Christmas nears, Alaina deflects the advances of a suitor in the neighboring county, choosing to cling instead to hope and her belief that Braeden will return. As winter’s chill settles upon her farm, Alaina cries out to God in one final Christmas Prayer. When loss lingers, love – even unto and beyond death - for it is through heartbreak that God opens doorways to comfort others. CHAPTER 1 - December, 1865 Desolation. Gray and bleak. As far as the eye could see. Standing on the covered porch of her in-laws’ large farmhouse, Alaina Dalton McKenna hugged a knitted shawl more tightly around her and gazed across the ravaged land. Her heart ached. Yankees. I hate every last one of them. Even as the thought formed, Alaina could hear Reverend Pritchard’s voice last Sunday, commanding his congregation to “love your enemies.” But that, of course, was easier said than done. Charleston lay in ruins, Fort Sumter had been abandoned by the Confederate army, and much of Columbia had been burned beyond recognition. Surely this was the end of the world. Looking toward the orchard, Alaina couldn’t fight back tears as she viewed the charred peach trees. Their skeletal remains added even more barrenness to the dull winter landscape. Why did they have to burn everything? Last February when Sherman’s troops made their march from Savannah to the sea, they hit South Carolina particularly hard, since the war had started in the state. The Yankees set fire to everything in their paths. The prosperous McKenna farm in Richland County had been no exception. As her mother-in-law, Eloise McKenna, said, it was a miracle their house still stood, proud and erect. Their barn, animals, equipment, and outbuildings were gone. All gone. However, this past summer, they had been able to grow a few crops, which would keep them from starving to death this winter. If only Braeden would come home. She yearned for her missing husband. He’d know what to do. Praise for Andrea Boeshaar Andrea Boeshaar has done a wonderful job of weaving an enchanting tale.~ Jill E. Smith Perhaps it will nudge you into a journey of your own. ~ Sandra Lee Smith I truly enjoyed reading this saga and look forward to the next book." ~ Joanne C Her plots are rich and well developed. ~ Liz Tolsma If you buy a new print edition of this book (or purchased one in the past), you can buy the Kindle edition for only $0.99 (Save 67%).