The next morning Joseph and I awoke with Jesus asking for food. We knew we had brought none in the house last night. However, when my eyes finally opened, I discovered bread, cheese, figs, milk and fruit juice on the table. Someone had entered earlier and left fresh water for us, as well.
“Oh, Joseph,” I said, turning to where Joseph was now standing, stretching. “Isn"t it wonderful to have family near again?”
“Yes,” he agreed with a smile. “I must say my prayers and bathe. Can we wait to eat for a few minutes?”
“You and I can, but I"m afraid Jesus will die of starvation if He doesn"t eat right away.” I tickled Him under his chin as I sat him on a bench. “Hungry?”
“Uh,uh,” He nodded, and picked up his milk.
As Joseph strapped on his phylacteries, I looked around at our house we"d lived in for such a short time.
I couldn"t wait to see...really see...our home again. Last night, I could barely find the door as we entered. Now, I looked around. Only one lamp flickered from the four shelves Joseph had built. What I called my betrothal table sat in a corner with the jewelry box still sitting on top, just as we"d left it almost three years before.
Jesus and I sat on benches at the large table. I slid my fingers along the highly polished surface. “Oh, Jesus, don"t you like our table?”
He nodded and grinned through a milk mustache dotted with bread crumbs. Jesus was eating much too rapidly but I wouldn"t worry. I was sure He would run it off soon.
As Jesus ate, I walked to the bedroom. In the center, I ran my hand over the beautifully constructed head of the bed. Joseph had made our bed like the one I slept on when I visited Elizabeth.
Now, I straightened linen covers and looked around at the love and care Joseph put into this room.
There were two stone projections built into the walls. Each held a lamp with room on the shelves for small articles. The chest he made to hold wedding gifts and many pieces of linen my mother and I made resided along one wall. I wiped my finger across it. Not one sign of dust on anything.
I breathed a tired, happy sigh. I was truly home where relatives kept a house spotless as though you would return in a few hours.
When I heard a knock at the front door, I hurried. A soft breeze blew in the opened door as my parents entered, Mother"s eyes shining brightly.
“Good morning,” I kissed both of them. I noticed sun beams inching themselves over the courtyard and sniffed honey-suckle-scented air. How I had missed that. I heard the chatter and laughter of women returning from the well. Some voices I recognized, others I didn"t and wondered if they were new neighbors or just voices I had forgotten.
“When did you start getting up so early, mother?”
“Since my Grandson arrived,” she said, sitting on one side of Jesus. Father sat on the other, helping Him with His bread and figs.
“Grandfather?” Jesus looked at me but pointed His bread at Father.
“Yes, Jesus, you have finally seen the Grandfather you heard so much about.”
“Grandmother?” and he pointed at my mother.
“Yes,” she said and hugged him, getting figs on her robe.
“Here, mother.” I handed her a damp cloth. “Someone brought fresh water early this morning. Whoever came was so quiet we didn"t hear a thing.”
“Oh, that was Sarah.” Mother informed me. “She told us last night she"d bring an extra jug for you and your family.”
“What a sweet thing to do,” I said, as Joseph entered the room and sat across from Father.
When asked if they had eaten, Mother nodded. “Yes.”
I brought Joseph"s breakfast and listened a few moments. He and Father were discussing Nazareth and various events that happened while we were away.
I barely heard them as Mother and I chatted until Father said, “We were frightened for you when we heard what Herod decreed. We knew you, Mary and Jesus were in Bethlehem. We had no idea how you could manage to avoid Herod"s men.” Father picked up a small piece of bread and bit into it. “We were very relieved when we finally received your scroll, telling us you were in Egypt.”
Joseph picked up a loaf of bread, tore off a corner and reached for a piece of cheese. “Even before the edict was given, the Magi told us Herod was looking for Jesus. We packed up and started home. Then,” He sipped water, swallowed, and continued. “The first night of our journey, an angel appeared and told us to go to Egypt. He said we would not be safe in Nazareth.”
I interrupted. “As we started through the mountains, Abner found us in a cave.”
“He"s a dear man,” Mother said. “He brought us the first scroll and kept us as informed as possible.” She turned to Joseph and laid her hand on his arm. “I"m sorry we interrupted, Joseph. Please continue.”
At that moment, Joseph"s parents knocked, then entered. We greeted each other as though we hadn"t been together just a few hours before. We told them what we had been discussing, then Joseph continued.
“I know Mary wrote you what we felt was safe to tell.” He took a drink and continued. “At that time, we had no way of letting anyone know our destination. We were afraid the message might fall into the wrong hands.”
Mother nodded. “We understood, Joseph, as soon as we heard what that evil man did. One of the neighbors who was in Jerusalem at that time told us she heard that about a dozen little boys were...” She couldn"t finish, she just hugged Jesus so tightly, I thought He might cry. But He didn"t. He seemed to understand what was said. He was also in his glory. He not only had a mother and father to love him, but four grandparents.
“You know most of the rest of our story.” I said. “Our stay in Egypt was interesting. We met the nicest couple. I do hope they will be able to visit some day.”
“I worked almost from the day we arrived,” Joseph remarked. “Their carpentry work is about the same as ours, repairing carts and just about anything that broke.”
We all sipped our drinks...milk, water, juice, whatever...and just enjoyed being together.
Joseph turned to his father, Jacob. “How is the carpentry business now? Any better than when we decided to stay in Bethlehem?”
“Business has improved and I"m glad you"re home, because I could use help. I"m just not sure there"s enough work to support both families.”
Joseph looked around the group with a smile on his face. “I might have news that will make you feel better.”
Joseph sipped his juice and continued.
“What?” Jacob asked. He broke a small piece of bread, then placed it in his mouth.
“Your friend, Jeremiah,” he looked at my father. “He asked me to build cradles and baby beds for him to sell.”
I had never seen Joseph"s father"s grin so big. Suddenly, he roared in laughter. He placed his hand on Joseph"s.
“This news is truly a blessing. It"s the best news I"ve had, other than your arriving home.”
His mother, Martha, asked. “When did he see a baby bed or cradle?”
“He"s never seen a cradle,” Joseph answered. “When we were in Bethlehem, just before leaving for Egypt, he came to visit Mary.”
I interrupted. “That"s when he saw Jesus" bed.”
“He asked me then if I would make some for him to sell.” Joseph sipped his juice. “However, we all know what happened next. On our way home, we stayed a few extra days in Bethlehem. Jeremiah ran into Abner who told him we were at the caravansary.”
I looked around the table, thinking how much I loved all the people here and how very fortunate I was to have them.
“He visited us and again saw the bed. He asked if I was interested in producing the articles for him. I didn"t know how busy you were, but I told him to be sure and look us up when he came back.”
There were smiles around the table. “What very good fortune, Joseph.”
“And now, we have another bit of news for you.” Joseph picked up my hand and squeezed.
Everyone seemed to hold their breath, not knowing what to expect. “We"re going to have a baby.” It was a triumphant sound, proud, happy, glorious.
The grandparents could barely contain themselves. The joy around that table was almost more than I could handle. We had been without family so long, and now we were surrounded with loved ones again.
For a moment, I was a bit pensive. As much as I was looking forward to this next baby, I wished everyone could have been with us when Jesus was born.
Then, Joseph"s mother picked up His hand. I"m sure He sensed what we all needed. He took my mother"s, and in a few moments, we were all holding hands, even Jesus. As we bowed our heads, Joseph said a prayer of Thanksgiving that we were finally home.
After the parents left, taking Jesus with them, we unpacked our belongings.
The last parcel untied were the gifts belonging to Jesus.
“Joseph, what shall we do with this?” I asked, showing him the packet.
He laid down the packets of scrolls he had just picked up and came to me. He lifted my chin so we were looking directly at each other. “What do you want to do with them?”
“I don"t know, Joseph.” I said. “I feel they are for a very special reason. I just don"t know what that reason could be.”
“I don"t either,” Joseph took the package and stared at it. “Maybe they are to show respect for Jesus. Further than that, I don"t know.”
We sat on the side of the bed as Joseph placed it there, between us. “Mary, since we don"t need anything, maybe they were meant to help Jesus in His later life.”
“That"s possible.” I picked it up. To be so valuable, it certainly didn"t weigh much. “Why don"t we just hide it and forget we have it?”
“That"s a good idea. Since I haven"t been able to fill your jewelry box, why don"t you put it in there?”
I leaned over and kissed him, took the gifts to the other room and placed the package inside the box. “There, now. We have our fortune, if we ever need it.” I went back to the bedroom.
He rose, took me in his arms and said, almost as though it were a prayer. “I pray we never have to use it.”
I agreed.
• • •
The following years were the happiest of my life.James was born six months after our return home. He was as good a baby as Jesus, though full of energy from the day he was born. Jesus took one look at James and said he was His baby and He would take care of him.
Being such a little thing himself, it was surprising to me that when James cried, Jesus came running to see what the problem was.
Of course, we were once again surrounded in love by our families. There was immediate family, as well as distant cousins and friends. I thanked God every day that He brought us back home safely.
I knew people said Nazareth was a rough place to live. They even said there were few good people. That wasn"t true. There were a few bad people. Primarily, there were good, honest, law abiding, God fearing people. We loved the inhabitants of Nazareth. Most of us worshiped God and followed His teachings to the best of our abilities.
We went to the synagogue and kept the Sabbath. When my mother gave me candlesticks, and I placed them in the center of our table for dinner on the sixth day of the week, I finally knew this was my home.
Our life was as normal as a family"s can be. Joseph went to work each morning with his Father. Their primary work consisted of working on farm equipment...plows, hoes, scythes. They also made carts for oxen to pull.
These were often used when gleaning in fields.
Another carpenter had moved into town during our absence so when Joseph began working with his Father there was not enough work for the two of them. Repairing and building farm equipment didn"t keep them busy enough to make a living, so Joseph and his father talked of Jeremiah"s suggestion.
Joseph"s parents ate with us one night. After the meal when Jesus was in bed, we talked.
Jacob asked, “Joseph, are you about ready to begin making the beds and cradles?”
“I"ve thought of it, but it will cost to purchase the materials we need.”
“That"s true, but unless you spend a little, you"ll never be able to have a business.” Jacob spoke quietly.
“I had no idea you felt this way.”
“I do, and your mother and I discussed it. We have a little set aside, and we"ll be happy to contribute some.”
“Joseph,” I exclaimed. “We still have the money you made when you repaired various articles for different merchants.”
“I thought we were saving that for something special.”
“I can"t think of a thing that is more special than your spending a little money to make much more.” I said.
“Didn"t Jeremiah tell you he was almost positive he"d have no trouble selling them?”
Joseph picked up my hand. “I"ve wanted to, but I was afraid we might need it worse some day.”
“Then it"s settled. You go purchase the materials tomorrow. I know you can do it.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
Joseph worked on baby beds and cradles when he had time.
A few weeks later, Jeremiah stopped in Joseph"s shop on his way back to Jerusalem.
“Got some work for me to sell, Joseph?” Jeremiah asked as he walked into the door of the shop.
“A few things. I hope you like them.”
Jeremiah picked up one of the cradles. “I can just see the mad rush we"re going to have with these. Make lots of them, Joseph. I"ll sell all you make.”
“Are you sure?”
“Never been more sure about anything in my life.” Jeremiah placed the cradle down and inspected the baby bed.
“These too.”
He took all the completed articles. Soon, Joseph had more orders than he could fill.
Later, they received orders for tables, benches and adult beds, as well. The baby beds and cradles Joseph made were especially in demand.
With so much work, we were able to replace the money we used for the first supplies, then saved in case we ever needed money for emergencies.
When Jesus was four, his sister Hanna was born. Then Joses peeked into the world when Jesus was five. Our house became so filled with children, Joseph added more rooms on our roof.
That was also the year Jesus began his formal schooling at the synagogue with the Rabbi.
Our old Rabbi, the one who accused me of being a whore, was replaced the year before. This young man was steeped in the Law and the Talmud, but interpreted both with more heart than the last Rabbi. Now, I had no objections to Jesus attending school.
That first day, I thought my heart would break.
He greeted Joseph as he made his appearance, then the other children awoke. James was a flighty child. He was never still for a moment. The only time he sat was when Jesus told him a story. We laughed and called him our
“darter.” He was always darting here and there for one reason or another.
Hannah stumbled into the room, rubbing her dark brown eyes. A small duplicate of Joseph"s mother, she was a chubby baby. Her legs looked too fat to be able to carry her, but she had walked before she was a year old. Her little hands had dimples at the end of each finger and she was about as big around as she was tall; but the sunniest, happiest of all.
Joses was still sleeping peacefully because I had fed him earlier.
As we sat at the table, Joseph said our prayers, then began talking to Jesus. “Are you excited, Son?”
“Oh, yes, Father.” Jesus answered, then took a sip of milk. “There"s so much to learn about the world. I"m glad mother taught me to read. Now, I can get right into my studies.”
“Are you in a hurry to learn everything there is to know?” Joseph asked as he slathered figs onto a piece of bread for James.
Jesus" face was so serious when He answered, I caught my breath. “Yes, Father. I don"t have a hundred years, you know.”
Joseph and I looked at each other and it was as though the world stood still. We knew this Son had a job that was beyond comprehension. And we had no idea how to help him.
“None of us do, Jesus. Just take your time, Son,” Joseph said, patting him gently on the back. “You will learn everything you need to know for whatever job you have.” His voice was full of care and concern for this very special Son. I could hardly breathe for the love that flooded my entire being.
Jesus grinned as he looked up at his Father, wiped the milk from His mouth and jumped up from the table.
“Hurry. I have to go so I won"t be late.” He ran into the room where we all slept, to begin dressing. Joseph followed Him much more slowly. When they returned, I could tell Joseph had helped Jesus comb His hair. I knew he also helped with His skull cap and robe, because Jesus looked so neat.
“You"re a fine looking son, Jesus.” I heard Joseph say. He leaned down and kissed him as they walked out the front door.
Tears flooded my face. I watched the tall man and the small boy walk down the pathway, hand in hand.
“Are you hurt, Muver?” James asked, slowing down as he ran through the room.
“I"m fine, honey. I"ll miss Jesus away at school, is all.”
“Me too. Can I go to school, too?” He stopped long enough to give me a hug and kiss, then ran outside, not waiting for an answer.
The years flew by.
When Jesus was seven, Judas was born and Jesus began helping his Father in the carpentry shop after school.
Another little girl, Rachel, came to us when Jesus was nine. She looked exactly like my mother, tiny, dark and beautiful.
The next year Simon, our last, put in his appearance.
The children grew in spiritual values from their Father, in agricultural values from Father and Daniel. They each, even the girls, learned how to work in the carpentry shop.
From the two grandmothers, I watched as the girls learned how to weave, card and sew. They prepared food for cooking, then learned how to take care of a household of people.
The boys learned to treat women with respect and love. I was humbled, knowing the grandparents took time to teach our children the true values.
Our lives were so full it almost took my breath away when I thought of the happiness we had. First, my wonderful husband, then seven loving, obedient, beautiful children. Our relatives lived near us. Our parents were of course getting older but were still in good health.
My Father went to work in the fields. He, along with Daniel, frequently took one of our children with them.
They were allowed to ride the animals or dig holes to plant seed. Father and Daniel helped them learn the different plants they cultivated. Later, they showed them how to reap grain and other vegetables.
The children learned to harvest grapes from vines, and figs and olives from trees. When they were old enough, they became a part of making wine They learned how to squeeze olives for oil and how to dry figs.
Daniel refused to attend a higher school. He said it was foolish to go on to school, when all he wanted to do was grow things. He did study ways of making the fields produce more. His innovations made the productivity of my Father"s farm increase dramatically.
He finally met a girl who was much like Ruth, the bride of Boaz. Beth was a fourteen year old orphan who came to his fields to glean when he met her. Her parents had moved to Nazareth just the year before, but they contracted a disease of the lungs and died soon after. Beth lived with an aunt who was rather old and unable to care for her properly.
When Mother heard of Daniel"s interest in Beth, she insisted she talk with the aunt, and asked me to accompany her. The Aunt only lived three courtyards away, so it only took a few minutes to arrive at her door.
Since it was such a short distance, I barely had time to notice what a beautiful day it was. A soft breeze gently moved leaves on the trees we passed. Bees buzzed around the blossoms of flowers surrounding various homes.
Some of the flowers had begun to wilt, but, with the nightly dew, would revive the next morning.
Her house was smaller than either of our homes, but she kept the space around it as clean as possible. Not a leaf from the tree whose limbs covered her roof were on the bricks of the courtyard. No sand swirled.
There was a pail of water outside the door in case a visitor needed to wash his feet.
“How thoughtful,” I said. “What an industrious person she must be when she is in such poor health.”
“I agree,” Mother replied as she knocked on the spotless door.
We had met earlier at the Synagogue, so introductions were unnecessary.
“I"m so happy you"ve come to visit. Please enter.” And Nora opened the door widely.
We stepped into an immaculate room. There were a few dust-free tables, as well as chairs sitting around a table used for eating. Glancing around, I noticed dyed material with a needle stuck into it. She apparently sewed, as well as other jobs.
As we munched delicious cakes and drank fresh water, we chatted...about the weather, children, crops, whatever. I could tell Mother had to bring Beth into the conversation soon or she would burst with impatience.
She sipped her water. Placing her cup on the table nearby, she said, “Beth is such a wonderful girl. You know she and Daniel are interested in each other.”
Beth"s aunt nodded.
“We"d really like to get to know her better. I understand it isn"t easy raising a young girl alone.”
Nora laughed. “Especially at my age.” Her face creased with worry. “I know I"m not able to give her the training she needs, however much I"d like to. Her mother tried, but she just didn"t live long enough to see that Beth learned what she needed to know.”
“If you don"t mind, I"ll be more than happy to help.” Mother offered, a smile on her face.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” A tear slid down her worn face. She wiped it away with a hand that was gnarled with swollen joints. How she must suffer, I thought. “I love her so much and I can do so little for her.”
Mother patted her hand. “It will be our pleasure to do what we can. I do thank you for letting me have a part in her education.” Mother grinned wickedly. “I can even teach her how to treat her mother-in-law.”
She and Nora exploded with laughter.
Soon, Beth was staying with my family most of the time. Mother taught Beth housekeeping, as well as other activities a girl normally knew, growing up in our village. Leah and Beth became inseparable...almost closer than Leah and I.
When they married two years after meeting, Beth and Daniel were as happy as Joseph and I. They were seldom apart. When their first child was born, Daniel was ecstatic.
Leah was another story. She decided no boy was quite good enough for her. She said she had no plans to marry.
Maybe when she got old...after she became twenty. Leah took all the flirting and teasing in stride, driving the boys crazy, Mother told me. She talked with boys, but kept them at a distance. She had more interest in an older person or a small child in need than in boys.
It was so difficult for me to believe my little brother was all grown up and had a family of his own. Sometimes, on our yearly trek to Jerusalem for the Passover, I marveled at how large our family had become.
Sarah and her husband had five children. Sarah remarked that since their youngest was now seven, she didn"t think she would have any more children. She told me one morning she really hoped she didn"t. She was tired of babies.
Looking at my brood, I agreed with her.
When Jesus was twelve, we made our regular journey to Jerusalem. The children had made the journey so many times, they weren"t as impressed by the noise and dirtiness of the city as Joseph and I had been. They did like going away from home and loved visiting Ruth and Matthew. Visiting the temples and seeing the changes also intrigued them.
Of course, each time we made a trip, the children appeared to become more interested in rites of our religion.
They loved knowing reasons for the celebrations of different feasts. Their love of God increased in proportion to their knowledge of the history of their faith. As they aged, they realized just how involved God was in every walk of their lives...from the moment they were born until the day they died.
With our family as well as Joseph"s, in addition to others from Nazareth, we all looked after one another"s children. Arriving in the area, we by-passed Jerusalem, and walked on to Bethlehem. No matter how many times we visited, our children loved hearing the story of how we met Ruth and Matthew.
We never told them about the shepherds" visit or the Magi. They never found the gifts of the Magi either because they discovered, at an early age, the penalty for opening Mother"s jewelry box.
After staying at the caravansary at night, we walked back to Jerusalem for all the rituals, prayers and sacrifices.
When the week ended, everyone gathered to begin the journey home.
We started out very early, happy, but tired. We checked to see that all the younger children were accounted for.
The weather was beautiful. Trees swayed in the slight breeze and as I stared at the hills around us, it seemed these same flowers had bloomed the first time I made the journey...soon after I became pregnant with Jesus.
As always, the younger children began the day running, playing, arguing, then settled down. Young boys, after their Bar Mitzva, noticed girls. Most of that age group stayed together.
It seemed Joseph and I had been walking these roads all our lives. Part of them now had stones, and rocks weren"t quite as bothersome as on earlier trips.
As we walked, Joseph and I talked. “Did you hear what Ruth said about Zacharias and Elizabeth?”
“A little. How sad that they should die within a week of each other. What happened?” Joseph asked.
“Apparently, it rained almost continuously for a week or more.” I told Joseph. “Zacharias and Elizabeth went to the desert to visit the cousins who cared for John and Elizabeth all those years ago.” I held onto Simeon"s hand as Hannah carried him on her back in a sling Joseph made.
Joseph looked around to check on the children, and I continued. “It seems on their way home, they were caught in a heavy downpour. By the time they arrived home, they began to cough. The next morning, the physician was called for both of them. Their fever was very high and in a couple of days, both were gone.”
“Poor John. What will happen to him now?” Joseph asked. “We could take him in with us, you know. We have room.”
A rock got caught in my sandal and I would have fallen but Joseph held me. I clutched his hand even tighter as I said. “John was sick too, but he was well within a few days. By that time, cousins who live in the desert arrived.
Elizabeth and Zacharias were buried the day they died, you know. However, the relatives took John back with them.”
“So he"s going to become a man of the desert as they are?” Joseph asked, striding along, yet watching the children.
“I don"t know. Elizabeth said before he was born that he had been a gift from God as Jesus was. She didn"t know his role in everything that was to come to pass.”
Joseph stumbled, then sighed loudly.
“What"s wrong, Joseph?” I grabbed his arm “Are you all right?”
“Mary,” he said, “most of the time I forget Jesus belongs to God and not to us. I forget He has a special mission, though we don"t know what it is. When I realize this, it bothers me a great deal.” He squeezed my hand tightly.
“Me too, Joseph.” I clung to him. He was my rock. “What would I ever do without you?”
He laughed. “Don"t ever try to get away.” And he hugged me tightly.
We walked a little further and I returned to our conversation. “We"ve had no signs that Jesus is different from our other children, Joseph. I don"t understand exactly what His mission is or when it will start. I just don"t know!” My voice must have held the fright I was suddenly experiencing. Joseph held me so tightly I thought I would quit breathing, but I needed his arms around me.
“I don"t know either, my dear. We will just have to wait and trust God.” He loosened his arms as our children started teasing him for hugging their mother.
“Joseph, we