Mary Letter Day Twenty Three

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, 

for he has done marvelous things.

2 With his right hand and his holy arm

has he won for himself the victory. 

3 The Lord has made 

known his victory;

his righteousness has he openly shown 

in the sight of the nations.

4 He remembers his mercy and 

faithfulness to the house of Israel, 

and all the ends of the earth 

have seen the victory of our God. 

5 Shout with joy to the Lord, 

all you lands;

lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing. 

6 Sing to the Lord with the harp, 

with the harp and the voice of song.

7 With trumpets and the sound of the horn, shout with joy before the King, the Lord. 

8 Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, 

the lands and those who dwell therein. 

9 Let the rivers clap their hands,

and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,

when he comes to judge the earth. 

10 In righteousness shall he judge the world

and the peoples with equity. Psalm 98

Dear Aunt Elizabeth,

He's here and he's wonderful, bright eyed and constantly hungry! I was so disappointed when the pains began, and I realized we were having this child right here in this stable. I had some tears and some harsh words for Joseph. Fortunately, the wise woman and our hostess Rachel, got me calmed down and promised all would be well. Joseph checked on me regularly and even though the women shooed him away, his tenderness and worry brought me great hope. He is a wonderful father, and is so willing to hold him, walk with him and even change diapers! The wise woman wants me to get sleep so I can recover from the birthing. Joseph has been so good at letting me sleep and caring for the little boy. I hear him singing to him as he strolls around, and the animals draw near when he sings. I think they believe the songs are for them!

I have regular company as everyone seems to want to see the baby born in the stable. He's not the first ever, of course, but in the midst of tough times, people seem to need positive experiences and reasons to have hope. The lines for registration continue to be long and the scribes seem to be making everyone's lives miserable. Joseph has yet to get an appointment, even though he has pleaded with authorities since we just had a baby. They do not care. This occupying government and their minions are quite soulless it seems. Joseph reminds me that we shall just keep praying and trusting the Lord, and a way will be made for us. His deep faith gives me strength when mine is failing. We both said yes to the Lord, although none of this was what we had in mind! Despite these rough circumstances, we feel very blessed by this child. Every sound he makes and every time he looks at us we can't help but smile and be filled with gratitude. Many people who stop by also feel blessed. We don't understand, really, but trust that our God is bringing hope back to this darkened world.

He's desperately hungry now so I will close this letter. Hope to see you on our way back home.

Love,

Mary