ROAD TRIP

It's that wonderful time of the year again, when we have two major holidays in a very brief period of time--this year less than a month.  Having traveled to Austin for Thanksgiving, I will be hitting the road again for a whirlwind tour of Texas come Christmas  It was wonderful to have everyone together for Thanksgiving, but Christmas sees us in three different cities hundreds of mile apart.  In case you have never had the joy of riding with me, let me just say I do a lot of talking to all the other drivers on the road.  Normally I am extremely patient, but for some reason the road brings out the Haggard Hattie in me.

One thing is for sure, road trips can be trying.  OH MY, but you have to love those Texas toll roads!  For the very cheap price of a few dollars, you can ride 80 MPH to your hearts content.  Unfortunately, many of the toll roads have very few pit stops along the way.  Always having a large glass of unsweetened tea by my side, this can lead to a serious need for a pit stop.  Thankfully, I have the horse to the barn mentality when it comes to stopping and can wait a long time before things begin to become critical.

Image if you will, everyone---in your family, and I mean down to the cousins so far removed you have lost count, are all headed to the same location for a huge family reunion and head count.  Top that off with the town to host you all is nothing more than Podunkville-hardly worthy of a dot on the map.  It is a race worthy of Daytona 500 headlines.  EVERYONE knows there are only so many motel rooms available and it's first come - first serve.

Unfortunately your transportation is a VW Beetle--KNOWN for its sewing machine horsepower and bumpy ride.   You don't stand a chance!  AND, GUESS WHAT, your wife is pregnant--AND I MEAN GREAT with child!  We ALL know no pregnant woman can pass up a rest stop!  Between the pressure of a baby pushing on her bladder and the Beetle hitting every bump in the road, things can be downright comical at times.

OF COURSE, you land in Podunkville dead last!  There is NOT one motel room to be found anywhere.  SO, the local owner of Joe's Bar & Grill, who has a side gig of a Petting Farm, takes pity on you and allows you to stay in the barn.  OH MY, the smells, the dirt, and animal poop would gag the strongest stomach.  What choice do you have!  You make the best of it, by placing your bedrolls on the little clean hay you can find and try to settle down for a good night's rest after your long journey.

WHY what else could you expect, but for the little wife to announce she is going to birth that baby --TODAY!  Things pick up steam and before you know it--that baby make his arrival in the midst of the muck and mire.  The baby---who is said to be special---is born in the midst of all the dirt and grime the world can throw your way.  Not only does his birth seem to be far from special, but almost a recipe for disaster.  And somehow-someway mother and baby survive and thrive.  Wonder of wonders--and exactly as some wise man wrote in his book-hundreds of years before.  Perfectly amazing---or ordained before the formation of the earth?  Ring the bells and shout for joy--a new baby has come into this broken world.  Could he possibly be the special one told of long ago

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,

 to Bethlehem the town of David,

 because he belonged to the house and line of David

Luke 2:4