messymiraculousmommy

As my children grow and ask for a pet dog, I find myself revisiting every dog I’ve known in my life and what they’ve meant to me. Well, that was a quick revisit because I’m NOT an animal lover and animals mean nothing at all to me. (Pet lovers, please keep reading). But I have many friends and family to whom their pet dogs have meant a lot, surely even more than I mean to them. As I look upon their profound devotion to their dogs, I can’t help but wonder what it is that they get from that relationship. For me, an animal who can’t feed or clean itself just means one more being that I have to be wholly responsible for. In addition, unlike humans, pets will never grow up and start giving themselves a bath, so this is a long-term daily responsibility.   I’ve heard from dog lovers that their dog loves them unconditionally and is always attentive to their every emotional need that allegedly even other humans can’t pick up. I heard someone tell me once as we were discussing a family in se

THE FIRST NOEL began with a NO. She said NO to the fear rising up within her to say YES to the angel's command not to fear! She said NO to her own plans for that day, that week, that month, that year so she could say YES to God's astounding plans for her. She said NO to the comfort of delivering her child with her community's fold to say YES to do as Caesar told. He said NO too. He said NO to the cultural expectations of having a new bride who would serve him when he chose to say YES to serving an expectant mother. He said NO to a lifestyle that would have been convenient had he not married her, to say YES to caring for her and the baby. He said NO to his carpentry clients and his extended family's needs when he said YES to new instructions given in dreams. Together, they said: NO to complaining so they could say YES to praising God NO to self-entitlements so they could say YES to identifying with the disadvantaged NO to security in their la

They started their journey in silence.  Because they barely knew each other.  But also, because they had so much to think about.    She had been on long journeys before.  She had travelled on a donkey before.    But she had never been pregnant before. She had never given birth before. And now as she travelled away from her mother and all the women who could have supported her with her delivery, she had a lot to be nervous about.   She looked at him as he led the donkey she was sitting on. He seemed to be a decent man. Responsible. Took the news of her unexpected pregnancy remarkably well, all things considering. Seemed focus on getting them safely to Bethlehem for the census and the delivery.    But could he really handle all that was to happen? Having a baby is hard enough. Then raising a child together, keeping such a huge secret together. Would he be up for the narrow road ahead?    "The road gets easier from here", he reassured her. It'