Dear Mary

This year I have been thinking a lot about the Christmas story.  About the real Christmas story....not the one with Ralphie.

What follows written by me will not be as good as this, but I hope you read it anyway.

Ahem.  Ok.  Here goes.

Dear Mary,

I have known the Christmas story my entire life---the angel appearing to you, the trip to Bethlehem, the stable, the manger, the shepherds and the kings.  But for the first time, this year, I think I really understand it in a way that has never before been possible.

You see, this year I had my own unexpected announcement.  No angel came unto me proclaiming me with child, but I felt utter surprise and apprehension when I learned I was pregnant.  You and I accepted our news, didn't we, despite whatever misgivings we may have had.  I know I felt fear and uncertainty and the wonderment of "How did this happen?"  And I think you probably shared these feelings too.  We were both unprepared for what God had in store for us.

And so we carried our babies, our boys, feeling them kick and poke and grow over the long months.  You knew you would deliver a son, while mine remained a mystery until he was born.  But we both felt the overwhelming joy and delight that comes with bringing a healthy child into the world.  There is no greater miracle.  Nothing in life that proves there is something greater than us mortals.

We, as mothers, have much to treasure and hold dear to our hearts with the births of our sons.   With any child who blesses our life.  Whether angels herald it or not, the birth of one's child and the unconditional love one feels for that child can and does bring us to our knees.

Now the tale of your son's birth is well-known, the most famous story told, but at the time, to you, his birth was just a simple human undertaking.  What nature and God intended.  As was my son's.  Just as you did,  I will watch my son grow and develop and become a toddler, a boy and eventually a man.

This Christmas I am so thankful for my "surprise son," the one I didn't plan.  The one who humbled me and makes me realize that I need to trust that all will be well when the unexpected happens.