As Plain As I Beheld It Then

I posted this poem last Christmas, but I like it very much, so I'm reposting it again this year:

“It’s queer,” she said; “I see the light

As plain as I beheld it then,
All silver-like and calm and bright-
We’ve not had stars like that again!

“And she was such a gentle thing
To birth a baby in the cold.
The barn was dark and frightening-
This new one’s better than the old.

“I mind my eyes were full of tears,
For I was young, and quick distressed,
But she was less than me in years
That held a son against her breast.

“I never saw a sweeter child-
The little one, the darling one!-
I mind I told her, when he smiled
You’d know he was his mother’s son.

“It’s queer that I should see them so-
The time they came to Bethlehem
Was more than thirty years ago;
I’ve prayed that all is well with them.”

~Dorothy Parker, The Maid-Servant at the Inn

I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas.  I had hoped to write some of my thoughts, but I'm tired and ready for bed.  I do hope your holidays have been special, and I hope you've had time to stop and reflect on Jesus, whose birthday we celebrate today.

M E R R Y  C H R I S T M A S !