December 15- Fathers and Daughters
The air is dry and Joachim can feel his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. As he stares across the small valley, the braying of the donkey next to him shifts his thoughts from his current financial situation to the news his future son-in-law shared with him a few days previous. Mary and Joseph would be leaving soon to set off for Bethlehem and, as a father, Joachim has his own concerns about this news. He grabs the rope around the donkey’s neck and sets off for home.
As he walks through the streets of town, the feeling of grit gathering in his sandals, Joachim reflects on what it was like the day he learned Anne had given birth to his daughter. Joachim remembers joy and the strange feeling that this little girl would somehow change his world in unimaginable ways. She used to run to him squealing with delight when he walked through the door of their simple home. He remembers the way her hair used to fall in her face after she laughed. Headstrong, she often did things she was told not to do.
Joachim can still picture the day a very large tree limb fell in the street outside their home. The sun had barely started to cast a glow on the morning clouds. Seven year old Mary was the first to find it. At first, Joachim thought she failed to see him watching her. Sleep still in the corners of her eyes, Mary circled the large limb three times. She stopped in front of it and planted her feet with determination. Staring at the leaves sticking out from the limb, she put her hands on her hips. Joachim could almost see her own thoughts close her in like a blanket. She reached out her small hands and placed them on the nearest part of the rough brown bark and began to push. She struggled and grunted, pushing with all her might. She kept pushing and straining for several minutes, sweat forming on her brow and above her lip. Just as Joachim was about to call out to her, she stopped her efforts. To his surprise, she merely reached up and rolled up her sleeves. She was back at it before he could blink. Joachim watched her push and pull, fall over, get up and go at it again. She was dirty from the road and her hair was now hanging past her waist, drenched in her own sweat. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Joachim stepped off the threshold with a chuckle and called out:
“Mary! Stop! Let me help you!”
Suddenly, her face turned to him. The fire in her eyes stopped him dead in his tracks. Joachim had never seen such determination. She inhaled deeply and with all her strength she pushed. The muscles in her small arms stood out, her face turned red, and her mouth popped open in a silent cry. As the sun burst over the horizon and lit up the scene before him, the tree limb began to move. Ever so slowly, inch by inch, the tree limb moved ever so slightly leaving a gap in the street for people to pass by. Mary stopped and momentarily collapsed against the branch. The path she had made was small but it would do so that neighbors could sneak by to get to the well.
Mary straightened and looked at him, “Yes, Abba”. Her childish face returned to its usual state of innocence.
“Mary, why did you do that? I was on my way to help.” Joachim said as he reached her in the street.
She shrugged her small shoulders and looked up into his face. “Everyone has to do their part to clear the way for others. I found it. It was mine to move.” With that, Mary tossed her hair over her shoulder and skipped back to the house.
Now, standing in the same spot in the street, Joachim, knows his little girl is plenty strong to do her part. The donkey brays again and a thought occurs to him - he can offer them the animal. That will at least be of some help. Taking the rope again and pulling ever so slightly, Joachim heads towards the back of the house where he keeps it tied up. It's the least a father can do.
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