Some years me and Mazie spend Christmas night snuggling in front of the fireplace. Then, other times, we chose to go visit with friends, or have friends over to visit with us. We never had kids of our own, so we never got to entertain Santa much!
This year, just a few nights ago, we rode out to Netter's Pond, where Mazie had never been before, and I parked the pickup a ways back from the water's edge and we just sat looking up at the clear, star-filled Christmas night sky.
"Look at that star!" Mazie said, pointing. Of a sudden a bright new light appeared in the sky, and I said, "I don't think that's a star, least not one I know. And it's too bright for Venus. Might be one of them satellites."
"It's hovering just above that little old shed over there at the edge of the field," Mazie said.
"That's where old Will Buckler used to feed his animals," I said. "Before he passed away and before I met you and we got hitched. I'm surprised the shed is still standing after all these years."
As we watched, the "star" seemed to grow bigger and glow brighter. There was a strange sound from the distance, and Mazie said, "What's that?"
"I think it's cattle," I said. "Lowing out in the fields. And it sounds like they're coming this way."
And then the night was filled with all manner of animal sounds and movements. A hundred or more shadows crept through the darkness around us, closing in on the little shed.
"This is Christmas night. Do you think--?" Mazie said, but choked up so she couldn't finish.
"I think we oughta follow the animals and the cattle and see where they're going. Though it's pretty plain where that's going to be."
And so we did. And when Mazie and me and all the animals got to the little old dilapidated feeding shed we found Something more Holy than Holy, and our lives have been changed forever.
This year, just a few nights ago, we rode out to Netter's Pond, where Mazie had never been before, and I parked the pickup a ways back from the water's edge and we just sat looking up at the clear, star-filled Christmas night sky.
"Look at that star!" Mazie said, pointing. Of a sudden a bright new light appeared in the sky, and I said, "I don't think that's a star, least not one I know. And it's too bright for Venus. Might be one of them satellites."
"It's hovering just above that little old shed over there at the edge of the field," Mazie said.
"That's where old Will Buckler used to feed his animals," I said. "Before he passed away and before I met you and we got hitched. I'm surprised the shed is still standing after all these years."
As we watched, the "star" seemed to grow bigger and glow brighter. There was a strange sound from the distance, and Mazie said, "What's that?"
"I think it's cattle," I said. "Lowing out in the fields. And it sounds like they're coming this way."
And then the night was filled with all manner of animal sounds and movements. A hundred or more shadows crept through the darkness around us, closing in on the little shed.
"This is Christmas night. Do you think--?" Mazie said, but choked up so she couldn't finish.
"I think we oughta follow the animals and the cattle and see where they're going. Though it's pretty plain where that's going to be."
And so we did. And when Mazie and me and all the animals got to the little old dilapidated feeding shed we found Something more Holy than Holy, and our lives have been changed forever.
