When he was small, my youngest son had a habit of filling his pockets with treasures he encountered in his daily adventures. I didn't always understand the value he saw in his chosen objects -- really, how many rocks and sticks could one boy keep? In his eyes, though, each one was beautiful and important. Life is just like that on a larger scale, isn't it? We gather up the precious bits of our experiences and save them all to learn from and enjoy later. Perhaps you'll find a little something here that you'd like to keep in your own pockets. Thanks for visiting.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

The Christmas Pageant

Photo credit:  Bethany's Christmas Pageant
 
A couple of days ago, friends of ours told us about an outdoor Christmas pageant that takes place this weekend every year at a local church in our community, in which a large cast of people and live animals re-enact the story of the birth of Jesus.  Our friends mentioned that it's a really nice family evening out that they all look forward to attending, and so last night Matt and the boys and I decided to go and enjoy this pageant ourselves for the first time.

The evening was chilly but clear, and we gathered together with hundreds of others from our community to sit close together on benches under a starry sky.  Because Will was cold and he couldn't see very well over the heads of the people in front of us, he accepted my offer for him to sit on my lap, and I enjoyed a rare opportunity to hold my growing-up youngest boy close to me for awhile.  The pageant began with Roman soldiers, who were carrying shields and lit torches and marching in unison down the centre aisle, and from that point on the entire crowd was mesmerized by the powerful story that unfolded before us, the story that brought light into the world on the first Christmas so many years ago.  There was a young Mary riding on a real donkey led by a quiet Joseph, and we watched the heartbreak of them being turned away at inn after inn until one kind innkeeper offered them his stable for a place to rest.  There were angels singing beautifully from a high platform above the stable, and three wise men with a live camel who arrived from the east to bring gifts to the newborn baby Jesus.  Real sheep and chickens and rabbits and donkeys peacefully surrounded the Holy Family under the light of a bright, bright star, and we were all reminded to have hope in our hearts at Christmastime and always.   And then, in the middle of this very lovely scene, Will suddenly turned and looked at me with twinkling eyes and said to me in a whisper, "I just farted on you."

Ahhh, boys.  They sure bring their own special kind of joy to the world.
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