Summary from Good Reads: Meg Hobart has everything: a happy marriage to a handsome, successful husband, a beautiful home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and three wonderful children. But it all comes crashing down around her the day she learns that her husband, James, has been living a lie—and has brought the family to financial ruin. Penniless and homeless, the Hobarts pack up what little they still possess and leave behind their golden life for good. But it’s not the material things Meg finds herself mourning. Instead, she misses the certainty that she should remain married to James, who has betrayed her trust so thoughtlessly. Worse, she is suddenly very aware of just how spoiled her children have become. Meg wonders what her family has really sacrificed in their pursuit of the American dream.
A frightening twist of fate forces the Hobarts to take refuge with a kind Amish family in Pennsylvania, where they find themselves in a home with no computers, no cell phones, nothing the children consider fashionable or fun. Her uncooperative brood confined to the Amish world of hard work and tradition, their futures entirely uncertain, Meg fears she can never make her family whole again.
Celebrating life’s simplest but most essential values, packed with laughter and tears, this is a story of forgiveness and the power of love. You will never forget the special moment in time that is An Amish Christmas.
The Hobarts life was overturned in what seemed like a moments notice to Meg. Her husband lost his job and all of their life savings and assets in a phony investment scam. They must pack everything they own into a Ford Mustang and are heading to Meg's parents house in upstate New York where they will live and work until they get their lives back in order. Along the way, they decide to stop in Lancaster, PA overnight to learn about the Amish and find a place to sleep. They get into a car accident with a horse and buggy on a snowy and icy evening. Thankfully no one was hurt but the car needs a lot of work to get it in working order. The Amish family involved in the accident takes the whole family in with open arms until their car is ready.
Along the way, they learn about themselves and realize that being disconnected from the world has changed their lives in more than one way. Although the two older children were difficult when they first got there, everyone was impacted by the love and friendship of this Amish family.
This was a wonderful Christmas story about love, friendship, forgiveness, family and community. It definitely reinforces the fact that everything happens for a reason.
