Christmas Eternal
Yonder midnight velvet pierced by
gleaming white-bright star
Comes salvation, rustic stable
manger, kingdom not afar
Softly fallen glow reflects on
humble newborn baby's face
Receive His heavenly blessing,
accept our Holy Spirit's grace
Little girls dream magic life
where enchanted princess dance
Boy sails emerald crested Irish
Sea to beckon sweet romance
There be I just southward of high
sun at noon
Slight distant shadow westward of
alabaster pale full moon
Could only I in small measure
save one innocent loving tender child
Would I then shelter fearsome
storm to proclaim dark day quite mild
His word! His deed1! Example
guide for Christian life invited sanction
AWhat can I do? Hollow offer
be, without perform thou sacred action
He has already loved me more than
His own human life
Undeserving respite from defeated
rampant savage strife
But rather joy as I with purpose
announce exotic other
Loving family circle embrace this
Infant, Father, Holy Mother
Pristine snow shall melt then
fade, destiny fulfilled when it did start
Survive eternal truth and love
through Jesus' own sweet precious heart
Innkeeper to rough lodging sent
holy Savior he did not know
Sees you Christ as judgment waits
- Is it He whom you do show?
AWhy can't everyday be like
Christmas? Queried crooner gospel king
Oh! But it is for each who makes
it so. I pray, you hear His angels sing
Merry
Christmas!
Silver Crystal Palace
(a
Christmas play-2010)
Mountains of paper and gifts
galore
No room left to walk on this here
floor
This Christmas again, one of the
best
With you all here as our house
guest
Pay attention now as our children
speak
Hints to what’s coming will give
you a peek
(Z.T.)-Bapa, I heard a real neat
story
About a wonderful Magic Christmas
tree
(L.V.)-If it’s true I have a wish
to make
That everyone gets their gift to
take
(A.E.)-Oh! I sure believe in all
things good
Come miracles such that could and
should
(A.M.)-Of course! There’s a
fantasy like that
At Bapa’s and Nanny’s is where
it’s at
(Bapa)-Now, children, let’s not
get carried away
But, I believe in magic, what can
I say?
(all)-We better check, just for
some fun
It’s not over, we’ve hardly begun
Today there is magic to be found
One more gift must be around
Then, they all search the magical
Christmas tree
(all)-Look! Now what could this
here be?
(all)-Santa might give her a
silver crystal palace
(Pause)-Or better yet, a golden
Christian chalice
Merry Christmas!
Hail!
Mary!
Hail! Mary! Full of grace, the
Lord is with thee
Heaven angel to virgin maiden
spoke enigma word quite bold
Celestial Son’s birth for sinful
man’s redemption, he foretold
Blessed art thou among women and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Announcement caused His cousin
John in the womb to leap
Un-truth purveyors shall forever
the evil whirlwind reap
Holy Mary! Dear mother of God,
please pray for us sinners
Add not nor deny My Truth, I am
the Light
Holy Word, My Way to salvation in
clear sight
Now and at the hour of our death
Communion saints with heavenly
angels pray
Revere innocents’ life, reflect
on Christmas Day
And, thanks for His miracle of
the rosary
Three in One, a dozen true
disciple men
Love each other, your brother
also is My kin
For He so loved the world He sent
His only Son
Offer heartfelt humble prayer,
His holy day be won
Amen!
Merry Christmas!
Pray the rosary! Amen!
Plus:
5 “Re-pract-hersing”?
Grudgingly relaxing his arms which held
her waist, he added, “I best get Desperado tacked up and fit that old pannier
to him. He’s going to have to truck all those supplies up the mountain.”
Nanny brushed his cheek with the back of
her hand; then he patted each of the girls on the head and with that, and again
donning his winter garb, he exited the comfortable confines of the warm house
to brave the frigid weather and once more headed for the barn. The lean-to at
the front of the wood building which the girls had insisted he construct for
their Christmas Eve pageant presentation of the Nativity story was just one
more reminder of his proclivity to give his girls whatever they wanted. Over
the next hour, he busied himself with preparations for the trip.
In the barn, Bapa rubbed down the horses, picked
and checked their hooves for soundness. Satisfied that all was well with the
animals, he led each to the lake where he had chopped holes in the ice and let
them drink their fill. Completing that task he turned to the pannier, checking
its repair before heavy use. One of the wooden dowels had come loose and he
employed a length of baling wire to correct the problem. His father had made
the carrier and it had served many years.
The tack he found in good shape.
Headstalls were clean and lightly oiled, hung neatly on pegs attached to the
bridle rack. Bits were clean and shiny, no burrs or rust; curb straps were
sturdy. The saddles, several well-worn, a few ridden enough to be comfortably
broken in, two brand new, all showed care and held a light sheen of Neat’s-foot
oil. The three youth saddles showed ample wear but were still of good utility.
His girls and grandchildren had each learned to ride in those leather
miniatures. The cold air in the tack room reeked pleasantly of pungent leather,
the aroma evoking myriad memories as pleasing to his senses as the flowery
fragrance of a bouquet of fresh-cut mountain wild flowers to a winsome beauty
from her beau. Ah! Ambrosia!
Around nine, he shuttled the supplies for
Ole Sam from the pickup truck parked in the barn bay to the tack area where he
had tethered Desperado with a stout halter and heavy lead rope which he would
employ to pony the pack horse up the mountain. The pannier was fitted to the
gelding, then, Bapa began to carefully load the goods onto the wooden cradle,
securing each item with a rawhide thong. He balanced the weight of the horse’s
heavy burden from side to side making sure the thick saddle pad protected the
animal’s back and sides. As he lashed the last of the items and went to
retrieve a canvass tarpaulin fitted with grommets to accommodate tying a rope
through, to secure the covering, he heard a vehicle in the lot; looking at his
pocket watch he saw that it was precisely ten-thirty. Smiling, he thought to
himself, “That will be my Z. Tyler.”
Not surprising
that the boy would be on time; he was always precise; another sign of
character.
Opening the barn door which faced the
parking area adjacent to the house, Bapa waved to his grandson who was opening
the passenger door for Mary Theresa; the old man had not known that she would
come with Z. Tyler. He was very glad to see her; she was due to deliver any
time.
“Hello!” he called in greeting from the
barn. “I’ll be in directly.”
Z.
Tyler waved acknowledgement as he and his bride headed to the warmth of the
house.
In the barn, Bapa saddled Magic, whom he
would ride, and the bay gelding, Applejack, for Z. Tyler. Magic’s spring foal
had been weaned and had joined the horses as just another herd member. The
filly was coal black but could, and most likely would, change color several
times in her first few years. The yearling was beautiful and Magic had promise
to be a good brood mare.
Once tacked up, Bapa tethered the three
horses to the manger with strong braided lead ropes of a heavy sisal fiber,
pliable like cotton, but stronger; the bridles for the trail he would fit just
before they left. Cinching the riding saddles only snug enough to hold them
securely in place, for now, he would tighten the leather straps just before
leaving on their trek, after leading the horses a hundred feet or so, allowing
the animals to exhale their breath which aided in making fast the cinch. A
horse will inhale deeply and exhale after the girth is tightened, causing the
saddle to slip; something a beginner horseman would not know; Bapa, though, was
no novice.
He shook a two inch thick flake of alfalfa
hay to remove the tiny, tender, dried leaves of the plant which he wrapped in a
cotton sack and then placed the package in his leather saddle bags. This, along
with a pound of shelled corn kernels and half that amount of rolled whole oats,
he also put in the bags for use at Ole Sam’s cabin to feed the horses after
they arrived. He would let them drink at the spring pond before they began
their return trip. For now, Bapa laid the rough stems, left from his shaking of
the hay, in a pile in front of each animal before he left for the house. With
only halters, the horses could eat unencumbered; they munched contentedly.
Coming in the back door, Bapa removed his
heavy outer winter garb and then his boots.
Near the fireplace sat Mary Theresa in
Bapa’s comfortable rocking chair, glowing radiantly in the warmth of a
crackling blaze; Z. Tyler sat on the stone hearth, lovingly holding her hand,
looking like a love sick calf while exuding the pride of a prize bull. Bapa
smiled at the sight.
Nanny and the three girls crowded close
around the couple, all smiling brightly with a look of expectant wonder in
their demeanor.
“Looks like a meeting of the Christmas
Club anticipating all the food, gifts and festivities of the big holiday,” Bapa
said as he entered from the kitchen.
Z. Tyler rose and shook his grandfather’s
extended hand, then bear hugged him in greeting.
“Good to see you, Bapa,” he intoned. The
old man nodded.
He took Mary Theresa’s slim hand in his
own, covering it with his free one; she smiled.
“Glad to see that you made the trip, Miss Mary
Theresa,” he stated. “I am very happy to see you. You look absolutely radiant,
young lady.” He paused. Then, “Is it the heat from this warm fire that set your
cheeks aglow, or is there something else to cause such happiness?” He teased.
“Bapa,” Z. Tyler seemed compelled to
interject for his bride, “the doctor says she may deliver on Christmas Day!”
His dazzling white-teeth smile was the exclamation point to his excitement.
Continuing, he added, “Mary Theresa came
along since her mother and dad are away for the holiday. With Nanny and the
girls to watch over her, we knew she’d be in good hands.”
“Oh!” squealed excited Lexi, “you can just
bet on that.” Rye-Rye hugged his sister close.
“We’ll take extra special care of her,”
promised blonde-headed Annie Rie.
“Yeah!” smiled Lauren, “We sure will watch
her good.”
Mary Theresa smiled and opened her arms
wide; all three ran to her for hugs.
“Take it easy, girls,” Nanny admonished,
“we can wait ’til Christmas for the baby.”
Bapa put his arm around his wife. “What a
special Christmas that would be.”
“Oh! Yea!” came the girls reply in unison.
“Just in time for our surprise Christmas
play,” said Anna Marie, excitedly.
“What play is that?” queried Mary Theresa.
“Well,” Lauren explained, “we asked Bapa
to build a lean-to in front of the barn with a small stage so we could do the
Christmas story Nativity scene to celebrate Christmas Eve.”
“Yeah! Yeah!” interrupted Anna Marie,
employing the double affirmative when excitedly making a point. “He built it
and we’ve been practicing.”
“I think you mean, ‘rehearsing’,” came
Nanny’s polite correction.
“Huh?” Annie seemed confused.
“Re-pract-hersing?” she half stuttered.
“Rehearsing,” Nanny repeated. “It means,
practicing, Sweetheart.”
“Oh!” the child concluded, slightly
shaking her head, silently mouthing the new word.
“And,” picked up Mary Theresa, questioningly,
beginning to understand, “just how does the baby fit into this picture?” She
quickly added, “I think, maybe, I should be afraid to ask.”
Lexi either did not catch the intended
entendre or simply chose to ignore the implied warning.
“Oh!” she replied quite innocently, “the
manger is very warm and comfortable.”
The adults laughed; the little girls
looked at one another inquisitively.
“I think,” began Nanny, trying to quell
any impending storm which might be brewing, “that this newborn might not be
just the baby we want to put in the manger for your play.”
“But, Nanny,” pleaded Lexi, “Jesus was a
newborn baby.”
“Might be just a little cold out there for
our new son,” Rye-Rye said, smiling, but stern.
Bapa was proud of the young man for
stepping up to protect Mary Theresa and his, as yet, unborn child. The young man handled it with adept finesse.
“Indeed!” Bapa said, “If that blizzard
comes that I am expecting, it will be plenty frigid by Christmas Eve. No place
on that exposed stage for a baby.” He shivered with meaning.
“You smell snow, Bapa?” Z. Tyler
questioned, seizing an opportunity to change the subject.
“Um! Hm!” he replied. “Wind will pick up
by mid-afternoon to come out of the northwest. I expect that the snow will
start by dark and continue all night. I think we’re in for a big one.”
“Yea!” From the threesome came exuberant
affirmation of the promised snowfall.
Nanny said, “If that storm is coming as
furious as you forecast, I best feed you two so you can be on your way.” In her
delicate way of never trying to influence her husband’s judgment, but wanting
some reassurance, none-the-less, she added, “You do think you’ll beat the
blizzard?”
“Of, course! Nanny.” Bapa said, “We’ll
deliver Ole Sam’s supplies and be safely back down the mountain in plenty of
time for supper. Nothing to worry about.”
Nanny smiled but a hint of doubt shadowed
her pretty face; Bapa noticed.
“Anyway,” he began, hugging her waist,
“you don’t believe for one minute that our Rye-Rye would stay away from Mary
Theresa any longer than is absolutely necessary. Do you, Nanny?”
She smiled at that reassurance; she had
full faith and trust in Bapa.
They ate a Spartan early noontime lunch,
not wanting to overdo, prior to the long ride; each of the men, however, did
drink his fill of Nanny’s hot fruit tea to steel them against the frigid
temperature. They each took a thermos of the hot brew and several sandwiches,
just in case.
After completing the meal, they took their
leave of the womenfolk with hugs and kisses all around. Z. Tyler seemed most
reluctant to abandon his expectant wife and kissed her three times to the girls
giggled “Ooh’s” and “Aah’s”. At last, he relented as he and Bapa dressed and
headed for the door. Goldie, who had been lying by the fire with Ella, came
charging into the kitchen.
“No, no! Boy,” Bapa reprimanded. “You have
to stay home this trip.”
The Golden Retriever held his head
sideways, as if to beg for a reprieve.
“Best keep him in until dark,” he
addressed Nanny. “Or, you can put him in the kennel after a while; he’ll bed
down next to the sheep pen for warmth. I’ll let him out when we get back.”
He patted the dog on the head and Nanny
nodded her understanding.
They led the horses from the barn, walked
them to cause the animals to exhale their air, then carefully tightened the
girths and rechecked the packed pannier on Desperado. At last, satisfied with
the tack and supplies, the men mounted up and headed northwest along the
pasture fence line toward the mountain and their rendezvous with the
Leprechaun-man, Ole Sam.
The little girls, Mary Theresa, Nanny and
Goldie watched from the window; the women waved. Z. Tyler and Bapa returned the
good-bye waves and soon disappeared in a copse of cedar and pine evergreen
trees at the far end of the valley. When Goldie whined as they faded into the
distance, Nanny touched her stomach as though the dog’s lament was a bad omen,
a harbinger of trouble. She mentally reprimanded herself, concluding that she
was just being silly. Still?
“Something wrong, Nanny?”Queried Lauren,
noticing the pained look.
“No, darling. Of, course, not. I guess I’m
just sad to see them go. That’s all.”
The women busied themselves with cleaning
up the dishes. Nanny and the girls baked several fruit pies in preparation of
the upcoming festivities as Mary Theresa retired to the bedroom for a nap and
Goldie lay by the kitchen door as if awaiting his master’s return. Eventually,
he went to keep the sleeping Ella company; since the flop-eared beagle ignored
his presence, Goldie chose to recline in Bapa’s padded rocking chair, rather
than lying on the hard floor.
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