The Center: His Rightful Spot

My mother and I collect manger scenes. (For those of you who wish you collected something, but don't like to dust, consider that manger scenes only gather dust for a few weeks every year.) We've been adding to the collection for years, and each year as we unwrap each delicate character, I get so excited to see which one is underneath the bubble wrap, tissue, or styrofoam, as if I am seeing their faces for the very first time.

As much as I love each manger scene, I have to admit that my very favorite one is the single nativity my mother had when I was a child. It was a gift from my dear aunt Melba, and it is blue. The faces of the individual characters aren't painted with exquisite detail, they are simply glazed in light blue. The donkey is missing his ears, and I'm almost confident that the angels wings have had to be glued more than a few times; but every year, my mother would lay out a cushion of beautiful white angel hair and carefully place the glazed blue characters on top, encircling the sweet baby Jesus. I don't remember the details of how she decorated the front door or what her centerpiece was on the dining room table, but I remember the details of that manger scene, the little sheep, the cow, the camels, the earless donkey, the shepherds, the wise men, the beautiful angel, Mary, Joseph, and the sweet baby Jesus. I even remember exactly what the donkey looked like before he lost his ears.

I don't recall Mom ever telling the Story as she placed each character in their "rightful" spot, but I actively watched as she placed each one, and I felt, for the moment, as if I were there in the stable watching the Story take place. It was, by far, my very favorite part of Christmas. I even enjoyed watching her put it away after the season was done, anticipating the unwrapping of the characters next year.

The last few years, the blue nativity has not been displayed. Due to small children and a very hard floor, we have opted to display only the hardiest of scenes. Yesterday, I helped Mom place some of the nativities in the safest places we could find, and as I was placing each character in their "rightful" place, I remembered all those Christmases watching Mom place her delicate blue characters. So I stopped what I was doing and handed a set of safe, chunky wooden characters to Mom, and I sat and watched as she arranged them in the center of her coffee table, placing each one in their "rightful" spot, encircling the sweet baby Jesus. For that moment, even though she wasn't telling the Story, I felt as if I were a part of the Story.

I guess you could say that I was captivated.

If you haven't already done so today, I invite you to set aside your own agenda for just a few moments to let yourself be captivated by the Story.

You will be so happy that you did.