"Bet You Never Looked at it That Way" -- Day 20

     

     If you have ever been to Branson you most likely went to see the Russian comedian, Yakov Smirnoff.  He tells a lot of stories about his impression of America when he arrived here with his parents.  Those stories are always followed with, "Bet you never looked at it that way."

     I never looked at the birth of Jesus the way Mike Slaughter describes it.  He reminded me that it was not the clean, sweet smelling scene I like to imagine.  A cleaning crew did not go through there getting things ready for the most important event ever. The Christ Child was not wrapped in a soft receiving blanket from Kids R Us.  He didn't have that baby smell of Johnson's Baby powder.  (Have you ever been west of Lubbock?) The music in the air was probably mooing and bleating and other sounds of creatures confused by the unexpected activity in their stable. (I happen to find the sounds of cows eating and mooing very peaceful, the buzzing flies, not so much!)  We all know those flies spread germs along with their annoying habit of dive bombing you in the face. What about the smell, the scratchy hay?  Would there have been clean, fresh smelling hay?

"Bet you never looked at it that way."

     I don't want to look at it that way.  I like my peaceful picture.  So, now I am trying to put the pictures together.  I know I can see the peace, feel the warmth, ignore the flies, almost like the smell, (well, maybe that is stretching it!".  Mary is still holding that Baby and Promise is there reigning above it all.  Mary and Joseph could make do with what they had and create a beautiful blessed scene.  Now it is my turn to make do with what I have and create my peaceful, thankful scene.  I guess I "never looked at it that way".

"Emanuel, God with us."

Submitted by Nancy Blatchley