1 Happy are they who consider
the poor and needy! *
the Lord will deliver them
in the time of trouble.
2 The Lord preserves them
and keeps them alive,
so that they may be
happy in the land; *
he does not hand them over
to the will of their enemies.
3 The Lord sustains them
on their sickbed *
and ministers to them in their illness.
4 I said, "Lord, be merciful to me; *
heal me, for I have sinned against you."
5 My enemies are saying
wicked things about me: *
"When will he die, and his name perish?"
6 Even if they come to see me,
they speak empty words; *
their heart collects false rumors;
they go outside and spread them.
7 All my enemies whisper together about me *
and devise evil against me.
8 "A deadly thing," they say, "has fastened on him; *
he has taken to his bed and will never get up again."
9 Even my best friend, whom I trusted,
who broke bread with me, *
has lifted up his heel and turned against me.
10 But you, O Lord,
be merciful to me and raise me up, *
and I shall repay them.
11 By this I know you are pleased with me, *
that my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 In my integrity you hold me fast, *
and shall set me before your face for ever.
13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, *
from age to age. Amen.
Dear Auntie,
I am writing to you this day because I do not want Mama and Papa to know this part of our journey. They have enough worries, and I have caused them enough trouble. We stayed with Saul and Marian, an elderly couple and cousins of Joseph. We arrived in the early morning, long before sawn, but they were awaiting us. We must have looked like some horrible creatures, muddy, soaked and a bit scuffed up.
This is what happened. We set out as the sun was setting. It was a clear night to begin with, but we could see the clouds were forming. This part of the trip was through hardscrabble hills, with rocks and pebbles that made the walking challenging. Joseph could see I was tiring so he had me ride on the donkey. A sudden clap of thunder frightened the donkey, and I was thrown to the ground. I'm fine but bruised and scraped. The sky immediately opened up after that! Jospeh was so upset and thought he was the cause of it. We sheltered for awhile in a shallow cave, eating some dried fruits and nuts, waiting out the storm. I told Joseph I was fine, and the baby was still kicking so we would be okay. Once the the worst of the weather passed, we set out again with Joseph holding tight to me and the animal. He has been so protective and kind!
Marian immediately took me to a room and cleaned me up and got something I could wear while she cleaned my clothes. Joseph fell asleep by the fire, his clothes draped by the fire for drying. We both slept well into the morning. This morning Marian brought in the wise women of her town, to inspect me and make sure the baby was ok. They said all was well, but that the baby would be coming any day now! I'm so not ready and want to get home!
Pray for us, please. We should be in Bethlehem soon. Miss you and your comforting conversations.
Blessings,
Mary
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