Sally Gerard

I can remember so many Christmas Eve nights- waiting not so patiently for the morning! I know somewhat of Mary’s feelings as she prepared for her baby to be born. I know I was terrified and also so excited to meet the little life that had been swimming about inside me for so long. I was also sad to have to let go and bring these miracles into the world. And then, to hold that tiny baby and be so filled with joy and awe that it filled every part of my being. It was such peace and stillness and incredible love and warmth, like the hearth with the fire burning and the festive decorations.

My prayer for all of you is that this day finds you enveloped in the warmth and love of family and friends, the harmony of Christmas carols, the flickering light of candles, and the joy of coming birth of the Savior in that tiny little baby.

We do love to travel by road to various places, and there is usually some kind of antique farm machinery or show involved. Along the way, we see family and friends, and we always meet new friends. These last few days, we traveled through several states on our way to Atlanta and back home, taking a different route in order to see some new country.

We drove through towns with awesome names, like Hickory Flats where there was a little lake surrounding an island filled with trees. I thought about Huck Finn and knew he’d be at home there. The forests are thick in the Southeast; the trees grow like weeds with no struggle at all. In fact, the people there are always battling the trees to keep their fields and roads and paths clear, while we carry buckets and buckets of water to ours and nurture each little bud. We put wire cages around the slim trunks so the rabbits don’t destroy them, while their trees grow tall and straight like a bunch of match sticks and slowly encroach on the ponds, fields, and driveways.

Crossing many bridges, we both thought about driving our tractors over and through such beautiful country, as we gazed out the windows of the pick-up. I was impressed with the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and with its history:

Civic leader Luther Ely Smith conceived the idea of building a memorial to help revive the riverfront and memorialize the story of the nation’s westward expansion. Through a nationwide design competition conducted 1947–1948, Eero Saarinen’s stainless steel Arch was chosen as the memorial that would celebrate the accomplishments of early pioneers. St. Louis celebrated with a groundbreaking on June 23, 1959. (gateway arch.com) 

I also met some old horse friends, who were only to happy to get a good scratch  and rub down, not to mention the cinnamon candy. Our friends, Mary and Wayne, are the kind of friends where it doesn’t matter how much time has passed since last we came together-we just take up where we left off. Good people are like that. My early morning walk around the place brought back so many runs and the tangy scent of deep pines and paths covered with the leaves of fall-a lovely way to bring in Christmas week.