Remember December: O is for " Over Their Flocks"

For JBelle

I received this nativity set for Christmas one year when I was a child. I picked it out in the Sears catalog and I still set it up each year. We figured out tonight it has helped me celebrate at least forty-five years of the birth of Jesus.

This is the verse I always think of when I unpack it and set it up on the piano. My friend JBelle has an amazing collection of nativities that you can view here. Just scroll down to see all of them.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. "Luke 2:11

Sibling Assignment # 85: Watering the Horse

Raymond Pert gave the sibling assignment this week. Silver Valley Girl's lovely piece about shepherds is here and Raymond Pert's will be posted soon.

"Over the last month, I have been studying ancient and medieval Asian poetry with my students. In particular, the Japanese Kokinshu poems have been on my mind. They are poems of brevity, sometimes seasonal. They anticipate the haiku. Robert Bly often wrote poems in this style. Since we are all getting hit by a winter storm, I'd like us to each write a reflection on this winter poem of Bly's:

Watering the Horse

How strange to think of giving up all ambition!

Suddenly I see with such clear eyes

The white flake of snow

That has just fallen in the horse's mane!"

--Robert Bly

Winter is a time to slow down and take inventory of your life. I think the natural darkness and weather gives us reason to hibernate and think. It also provides time to open our eyes to the simple things that are around us. Bly illustrates this in this poem. During this time of year often our vocations/jobs take up endless time. For many preparation for the holiday season is also another endless list of to-dos that take up time. What Bly's poem does is suggests that we take time to notice things around us with eyes wide open. Whether it is the white flake of snow on a horse's mane or a roof of snow on a picket fence, we need to give up our ambitions and just be still. That is definately a challenge in a holiday of world of "shoulds" and " need to's". I absorbed Bly's words today and carried my camera around in very cold temperatures to open my eyes to the world around me. This is what I saw.