An Infant's Cry

Their marriage had come as a surprise to nearly everyone, including themselves.  There was talk.  He was, after all, a confirmed bachelor.  She, soft-spoken, a beauty wise beyond her youthful age.  An odd match, was the consensus. 

        They were taking their first trip together, and as it happens during this busy time of year, there were difficulties.  Maybe not on the scale of the classic holiday movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” but still…

        Exhausted after a long day on the road, the couple arrived at the b&b they were supposed to stay at only to find out that it had been overbooked.  To complicate matters, the very pregnant young wife informed her very aggravated husband that the baby seemed intent on arriving sooner rather than later.  Stunned by this turn of events, her husband frantically began searching for another place to stay.  They were in a small town, and visions of four star accommodations quickly gave way to three, then two stars, then desperation.  Swallowing hard, he took his wife to the only place he could find, and let’s just say a one star rating would have been a step up.

        His wife sought to console him, “Alright,” she said while looking around at their pitiful surroundings, “it’s not great, but look at this as one of those things we’ll be talking about for years to come.”

        Her husband smiled appreciatively at his wife’s plucky attitude, but couldn’t shake the feeling that he had let her down. 

        Husband and wife did their best to make themselves comfortable as they settled in for the night.  He fell into a fitful sleep, but she lay wide awake, her labor pains, once a distant warning, now coming fast and furious.  She had to wake her husband. 

        Stomach churning, he fought to stay calm and failed miserably.  “Oh My God!” he exclaimed, “What are we going to do?  There’s no hospital in this hick town, no doctor, not even a midwife to help us.”

        Unflustered, his wife calmly told him, “You can do this.  We can do this.  All we need is a little faith.”

        And their faith was rewarded.  A son was born unto them, ruddy and handsome, his cry a proclamation of hope.

        You know the rest of his story.  From this most humble of beginnings, a great man would go on to change the world with his message of love.  May you hear what his parents heard on that celebrated night.  May you know their joy. 

        Merry Christmas from all of us at Bickimer Homes.