I have set up our Nativity scene.
It's a miracle these plaster figures,
purchased in the 1950's,
have survived their decades' long journey
to arrive once again in Bethlehem
atop the bookcase in our bedroom.
I recall standing eye level in front of the display case
(at our local five and dime)
gazing in wonder at the row of powder-blue Marys
and purple-cloaked Josephs,
and so many baby Jesuses, each molded into his own manger.
As a kid I wanted to be the one shepherd,
faithful dog at his feet,
playing his flute.
I would serenade the babe
with an improvised lullaby.
Decades later, visiting my parents,
my mother handed me a box, saying,
"This is the Nativity. You always enjoyed putting it up;
why not take it with you this trip."
I was thrilled.
There's been only one casualty over the years,
the original angel has gone missing.
What remains, besides Mary, Joseph and baby,
are two shepherds, two sheep,
and three wise men.
Over the years, we replaced the angel
with a sturdier one
(that would bounce if dropped),
adding a camel, a donkey, two goats and two deer.
Surely there were deer at the stable.
Placing each figure is a prayer,
a memory, a remembrance,
for family, many now gone,
for faith and hope,
for us.
These symbols nestle now in fake greens,
a light string purchased 20+ years ago at Goodwill
(still functioning--yet another miracle!),
and a stable built of pine
with the help of my friend Beth.
It's all peace and gentleness,
a quiet respite in an otherwise turbulent story.
There are dangerous implications
to this revolutionary birth.
But more on that next time.

Text and image © 2022 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
Recent Comments