About Michele
Michele Taylor Bettridge loves Christmas!! She grew up on a small cattle ranch in Almo, Idaho where they cut down their own live Christmas tree each year on a neighboring property. A pinion pine became the familiar scent of Christmas. The tree was decorated with simple glass ornaments which dated back to just after World War II. To this day, a box of silver icicles can bring tears to her eyes as she remembers her father, now passed away, would give strict orders to hang the silver strips of shiny tinsel piece by piece. Every Christmas included a Christmas program in their small town church. The church was almost am exact replica of something you would see in a ceramic Christmas village which adorns fireplace mantles even today.
Michele was always the best dressed girl, or so she felt, as her mom was a seasoned seamstress and made her little red Christmas dresses.
So why is Christmas such a big deal to Michele if she came from such simple Christmas traditions? As she began having children of her own and moved to a bigger city, she became caught up in the commercialism of Christmas. She began buying the finest clothes and toys in the prettiest decorative department store boxes to adorn the base of her now-overdressed-Christmas tree. Her children were always excited to open the piles of gifts which would take over an hour to just unwrap as fast as they could. This Christmas suited her family fine until tragedy struck and Michele’s marriage and family started to break apart.
Yes, it was right at Christmas time. The plethora of gifts had to come to a halt and that felt not only new to her but especially to her overindulged children. It was that Christmas that memories of simple and more meaningful childhood Christmases came flooding back to her memory. She was not sure just how to introduce that to her children. There was also a strong need to connect to Jesus Christ to heal her from the hurt she was experiencing. What a more perfect time to build that relationship with Christ than at Christmas? That is how the tradition of the three perfect Christmas gifts began. You can find the rest of the story by clicking here.
Today, Michele loves to share and to teach. If she learns something new or sees a great idea, she wants to tell everyone. She has a passion for family, for motherhood and especially in being a Nana (grandmother). Michele has been referenced as “The Little Engine That Could” during her years as a single mom while raising three beautiful daughters. She believed that when the odds were against her with very little formal college education and mounds of debt, she would pull through. She has successfully achieved in several areas in the medical field, sales and marketing and as an entrepreneur to provide great neighborhoods and a comfortable living for her daughters. Being a writer and a stay-at-home mother is where she always wanted to be. However, God had another plan for her and what a climb it has been.
You will enjoy her books as she shares her challenges and triumphs in each book she writes. Her dream is to be connecting with her readers through her books and public speaking engagements. Michele would love to share more of her experiences in hopes of helping others to bypass the hard lessons she has learned. To see a list of other upcoming books with such life lessons, click here.
