Mary Letters - Day 26

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,"

which means, "God is with us." When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25 

Dear Aunt Elizabeth,

I am writing to you today on behalf of Mary. She is in labor but insisted I send you a quick note. I guess the two of you agreed to write daily about our lives and challenges. She is so brave and so beautiful, despite the pains which are regular and intense, about five minutes apart. We are in Bethlehem, and our accommodations are in a stable. I am a bit ashamed of that but at least we are out of the weather. The sweet inn keepers wife have sent for women to help us when the birth is near. The check in on us every few hours. They say it will take time since this is her first. I cant' stand to see her in such pain! My sweet and wonderful Mary in such agony!

I know we barely know one another but I want to thank you for all that you are to Mary. You made her welcome when no one else would. When even her parents rejected her and I was so frustrated and angry with her, you gave her the strength to go on. So now it's my turn. I hold her and encourage her when the pains come. I try to remember psalms to repeat and songs to sing. I still feel like the weak one. She is so amazing, I wish there was a way for me to show her the love and respect I have for her.

Dear Aunt, please pray for us. For a good and safe delivery for her and strength for me. She is surely ten time stronger than me!

Sending love from both of us,

Joseph