Thanksgiving in Willow Creek

The scent of breads and apples drifted through Ruth’s kitchen long before the sun crested the Wyoming hills. Outside, frost painted the windowpanes. Inside, laughter and gratitude mingled with the rhythm of kneading dough. In Willow Creek, Thanksgiving wasn’t about abundance—it was about belonging.

This quiet scene inspired one of my favorite images in the Willow Creek Hearts world: the boardinghouse kitchen glowing with firelight, biscuits warm out of the stove, and hands working side by side in quiet grace. To me, that’s what these stories are all about—ordinary moments that become holy when love and hope are stirred in.

If you’d like to linger in Willow Creek a little longer, here are a few places to pull up a chair:

➤ Read Chapter One of Letters from Willow Creek

➤ Visit Whispers on the Wind — Rachel and Silas’s story of healing and second chances.

➤ Join the Early Reader Circle for sneak peeks, ARCs, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of life in Willow Creek.

Because sometimes, gratitude rises slow—like bread in a warm kitchen—and fills every corner with light.