War dominated everyone's thoughts, yet life along with births and deaths continued. Even Dena Brewster had remarried. Carl was her late husband, Clay's best friend. Slowly she had shut doors to her former life and started again. Her growing sons helped her to stay on course as did a new job. Some days, Dena wanted to stay rooted in the past; not to move forward or close all doors on her first love Clay. War was a companion to every household in the nation. Dena didn't like what war had brought, but after two years she had at least learned to cope with the rationing of goods. She continued to see the gaping holes war had created and the suffering it had caused. Now that she had entered into a new relationship, how could she continue to move forward successfully? Her mother had told her one day at a time, but when life allows families to suffer and friends to disappear, how could she understand? How could she stay faithful to her belief through the Christmas holidays, when so many others had not?