My family and I lived in Texas for a short time and would make the drive to North Carolina with some frequency to see family and friends. There are five in our family: My husband, me and 3 children – a 15 year old boy and two 12 year old girls (at that time). While Google Maps said it would take just over 19 hours, it was, for us, closer to about 22 with the stops we made along the way.
The first time we made the drive home to NC was Christmas after our move. We decided to leave the evening of Christmas Eve and journey home so we would arrive on Christmas Day. The kids were asleep when the clock struck midnight. Mysteriously, they all woke up and loudly greeted us with MERRY CHRISTMAS! Simultaneously, we were assaulted with all the bright and busy lights of the casinos as we entered Shreveport, LA.
The road behind us had been dark and quiet with the occasional comments and conversation between my husband and me when this cacophony entered into our experience, quite unexpectedly. Needless to say we were startled, and joyful at the same time; realizing that it was, indeed, Christmas! We were alone in the world on an unknown road…journeying together to a far away place we called home.
Isn’t that kind of what Joseph and Mary did? Journeying alone along on a dark road to a place that was Joseph’s hometown? Isn’t that kind of what Christmas is all about? A startling and unexpected joy that illuminates the dark road before us?
Duana Cisney 