“Librarian’s Shelf” by  Robert Trautwein "All Roads Lead Home at Christmas"  “At Christmas, all roads lead home”, a quote by inspirational writer, Marjorie Holmes, pretty well sums up the longing we all have at this time of year. As my wife and I are now the oldest generation with children of our own, the road leads to Columbus. Ten or so years earlier at Christmas time, we were always on the road to my wife’s family in Colorado or my parent’s home in Idaho. Marjorie Holmes, known for her bestselling trilogy which retells the life of Christ, was the author of the long-running syndicated newspaper inspirational columns "Love and Laughter" and "A Woman's Conversation with God.” She was also loved for her book, “I’ve Got to Talk to Somebody, God”, which sold millions of copies in the 1970’s and 80’s. In “Two from Galilee, the Story of Mary and Joseph”, Holmes brings life to the Bible story of two people whose lives were touched by God. Chosen to provide an earthly home for His Son, a teenage girl and her young carpenter husband find themselves alone and frightened with an awesome responsibility in a hostile world. Holmes expands upon this Biblical story by using her own observations, reflections, reactions and feelings. The stilted and one-dimensional characters of the Bible become real people facing personal fears, harboring animosities and distrust, and seeking strength in their love. “Three from Galilee: The Young Man from Nazareth” recreates the years of Jesus’ life between the ages of 12 and 30---the span not mentioned in the gospels. With great reverence, Holmes describes what Jesus was like and what he might have done during those years. Portraying him like other young Jewish men of his time, her Jesus is witness to the brutality of the Roman conquerors and is frustrated by the accommodations and rigidity of the people’s religious leaders. Using her remarkable talents, Holmes brings Jesus, his parents, brothers, sisters, and friends to life in this moving and unforgettable story. “The Messiah”, the third book in the series about Jesus, focuses on his ministry and portrays him as a healer who became a crucified martyr. As the events of this period are well known through the Bible stories, Holmes cannot use her literary license as freely as she did in her two earlier novels. She creates a wife for Peter and describes the tension that would have existed between a wife and her husband who felt a higher calling than that of being a provider for the family. In her portrayal of Jesus, Holmes has done a remarkable job of describing him as both human and divine. By reading her three books, one comes to know Jesus on a more personal level. The reader’s heart will be broken again by Holmes’ story of Jesus’ death, just as it was in reading the accounts in the Gospels. Recent donations to the Columbus Library Foundation include those from Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Fleischer in memory of Elizabeth Brenner and Marcella Brownell. A donation was received from Mary Norton in honor of Florence R. Austin and Mr. and Mrs. Leon Wragge presented a donation in memory of Roland Nyiffeler.