At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Almost every morning, I walk by this white house located on the corner across from the police station and the library.
The yard is spacious with many areas of flowers and a darling potting shed. Each holiday season the home is decked out with various decorations.
When I walked by this particular morning I was puzzled. Hadn’t I just seen Mary and Joseph two days ago in a different spot in the yard?
On the other side of the home is a wooden stable, but it’s empty. I found that curious also as in the past I’ve seen it lit up with the scene when Mary and Joseph are settled in at the inn along with the three wise men, the angel, and the shepherd.
I then realized my eyes weren’t deceiving me. The woman who lives in this sweet home is honoring the journey that Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem all those many years. She is intentionally moving them ever closer to the stable every day. Honoring the journey that we sometimes may think was easy, but is said was long, grueling, and dangerous.
I was so touched by this. I thought about how often we see the stable already set up for the duration of the Christmas season and we lose sight of the journey it took to get there. While it’s beautiful to reflect on the miracle that occurred in that manger, it’s the journey that made it even more special.
And I thought about our own lives, how we sometimes fear the journey to something that is unseen. But more often than not, we look back in deep appreciation for what we learned and how far we came.
So thank you, dear sweet lady, in the cozy white home who touched my heart in such a special way. I’m looking forward to watching the journey continue…
xo,
Barbara
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