HURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2021 CHRISTMAS STORIES - LEMUEL

 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2021 CHRISTMAS       STORIES - LEMUEL

I am doing a series of fiction relating to Christmas.  They are told in the first person.  Today, it is Lemuel, a stablehand at the Bethlehem stable.

*****

About six months ago, I was approached by a strange lady.  She was totally out of place in the stable, maybe even out of place in Bethlehem.  She spoke some Hebrew but not very well and kept looking at a little box in her hand that she called a ‘phone’ before she spoke.  (She said it was something about translation.

Anyway, this lady, Karen, asked me to comment on the baby that was born here about a year ago.  I do remember it vividly.  It maybe was the weirdest night I’ve ever had as a stable hand.  She said she was recording this (whatever that is), and her friends would read it.  (I was sure she was on some kind of locoweed or just, you know, touched in the head.)  Well, I hope this is okay.

*****

(She asked me to introduce myself).

I’m Lemuel.  I’m the stable master in Bethlehem and really an all-around handyman.  I do things for people in the town that need fixing.  But, mostly, I take care of the donkeys (burros, jackasses) and horses in the town.  I put the animals in a stall, and lock them in (some of them aren’t used to barns), give them water, food, and straw to lay on.

Well, this particular time had been real busy.  Augustus Caeser had required a census and the only fair way was to divide people up by their family, tribe, or clan.  Now, King David was born in Bethlehem - and the was the seventh son of the family, and he had seven wives and at least nineteen children (specifically - sons).  Now some of his brothers had big families too.  Of course, many of them became attendants to the King and had good incomes, and could support large families.  

Bethlehem isn’t all that big, and now a horde of distant relatives - many of which hadn’t ever been in Bethlehem - descended on the town like locusts.  The official record keepers were the synagogue, and people lined up for hours (and some even for days) to get registered.  

The Roman officials gave a small token to all who registered.  If somebody thought they could get away without registering and an official asked them to show their token and they didn’t have one, they could be thrown into prison or fined.

Anyway, back to my story.  Because of the number of people coming to town, some people had rented out rooms at their houses (at slightly inflated prices - after all, these were descendants of King David).  The inn was really busy with people.  Other people made a killing selling meals as the only normal place for a meal was at the inn.  (Only joking about the “killing” folks - it’s kind of one of our idioms).  

I was extra busy because most came with at least one animal.  Many had horses, a few even had small wagons that the horse pulled.  Some had donkeys.  It was almost a zoo (I wish it was a zoo, I’d like to have elephants and lions in my stalls!!)  

****

So, let’s get to my story.  It had been another long day.  “Lemuel, get my horse”; “Lemuel, could you clean out a stall for Joseph-Barsal’s donkey?”; “Lemuel, did you give water to the two donkeys in stall 12?”.

Then, I saw them.  Well, maybe, somehow, I ‘felt’ them.  A couple coming slowly into the barn.  The man was leading a donkey with a very pregnant woman on it.  I greeted them.  Immediately, I grasped there was something tragic and something infinitely beautiful about the situation.  The tragic part of the situation was that they had been to the inn and houses that had rooms and everything was full.  But, the infinitely beautiful transcended the tragic.  As the man helped her off the donkey, she almost collapsed with a contraction.  That got me in action.  I called the boy who was helping me.  I yelled at the boy “Get your mother and another midwife here NOW”.  (His mother was a midwife).  Another assistant, I yelled boil some water, get lots of blankets (even horse blankets), and get all the clean pads and rags you can find - NOW.

Running to the couple, I helped the man, lower the lady into a clean stall (I was sure glad the previous user had left and I had cleaned it).  There was a clean blanket on the wall between this stall and the next, and I threw it on the floor as we laid her down.  

But, there was just something about the lady - an aura, an inner light - even in the time of her contractions she was somehow very beautiful.  

The man quickly introduced himself and his wife.  “I am Joseph, from Nazareth, and this is my wife, Mary.  And, this is our first child”.  I looked briefly at Mary, who smiled at me before that smile changed into a grimace with another contraction. Joseph sat down on the edge of the blanket and held her hand and let her squeeze his hand when the contractions came.  I could tell he loved his wife so dearly.  

But, within minutes a lot happened.  Hannah, one of the midwives arrived and she brought Lamoni, her midwife apprentice.  She also had a bag with her.  Whew!!  (I thought I might have to deliver a baby.  I have delivered (really just coordinated) delivery of donkeys, horses, and other animals, but a baby?  Not my thing!!)

Hannah was wonderful, she got down on the ground with Mary and Joseph, and spoke calmly and quietly to Mary.  I caught the words “breathe”, and “don’t push”.  Lamoni went with the labs to help with the water and other items. 

Over the next hour, with Hannah and Lamoni working with Mary and Joseph, they kept the hubbub to a minimum.  (I didn’t need to be there, but I worked with some of the animals that were close so I could hear the process).  I heard Hannah say “now”, and Mary pushed the baby out of her womb.  Soon the baby was crying, and Mary was crying (happy tears) as was Joseph, Hannah, and Lamoni.  The midwives washed the baby off with a salt-water solution and wrapped him in the cloths and rags the lads had brought.  They made Mary as comfortable as they could with just a stall in a stable.  I had brought some candles and torches to the stable, but the stall where the baby was had a bright glow.

*****

About twenty minutes later, Hannah and Lamoni quietly came to me.  Hannah said, “The baby is wonderful and is sleeping as is the mother and father.  Lemuel, there is something special here - something sacred, something mystical, something I’ve never seen in all my years as a midwife.  We are going home.  If something happens, do send for us.  You got us just in time.”  

The boys that had helped left, and a stillness lay over the stables.  Normally stables have sounds, a horse grunting in its sleep, but tonight, nothing - no sounds.  I quietly stepped over to the stall where the family was.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  Could this have been the scene of birth just a little while ago?  I did hear a slight sound, the contented sigh of the mother.  She opened her eyes and looked up at me, and gave me a warm smile.  (The smile was enough to melt my heart).  

I quietly asked “Are you okay?  Do you need more blankets or food or anything?”

Mary nodded to say “no” and closed her eyes.

*****

I closed up the stable - and walked the half-block to my house.  I looked up, the sky was so brilliant tonight, every star glistened.  I fell asleep quickly, but my dreams were so wonderful that evening.  And, the bright star that has been shining for about a year now seemed to be right overhead.

*************************

The next day had some controversy. Hannah had told the innkeeper about the birth and scolded him for not having a decent place for delivery.  Bethlehem took on its regular routines.  Most people didn’t know and didn’t care that a baby was born in the stable the previous night.  Oh well, life goes on.

I went back to the stable and poked my head in on the family.  The baby had found his way to his mother’s breast and was feeding.  The glow was less noticeable in the daylight.  The father, Joseph, approached me and asked about food for him and Mary.  

The family rested that day.  They would get to the census/registration office soon enough. Mary got up and moved around (and cleaned up as well).  The baby was so contented - and so small.  

*****

That night as I was finishing up, the next part of my story began.  The innkeeper had brought some things to make the stall more comfortable.  Then in groups of three or four, shepherds showed up to look at the baby.  (I thought that was strange). I asked them why they were there, and Solomon, the chief shepherd in the area told me that angels appeared to the shepherd to say that a baby was born - the Messiah.  I remember what I thought was an old wives tale - but is in our scriptures “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel”.  Could this baby be the Messiah?  

I hadn’t been much of a religious person before that night.  Sure like all the Jewish men, I had been circumcised, I had a bar mitzvah, I was nominally an obedient Jew.  Somehow, something had changed.  I believed that this child was the ‘wonderful counselor, mighty God, prince of peace.  And, I’m sure as I looked at that wee, small infant, he looked back at me and in my mind spoke to my heart about love.

**************************

End of Lemuel’s story - a work of fiction.

LOVE WINS!!

Karen