I've been a blog slacker... oops. :)
I've heard this story many times in slightly different forms and I'm sure some of you have also, but I love it. It's so sweet and the boy expresses such an innocent love for Joseph, Mary, and her child.
Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind.
Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play’s director, Miss Lumbard, knew that there were too many lines for Wally to memorize. So she assigned him the role of the Innkeeper who only had a couple of lines. For weeks he practiced his part and his lines. Miss Lumbard's biggest concern for the play that year was that Wally didn’t mess his part up and therefore embarrass himself.
It just so happened that the whole town had turned out the night of the big production. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than little Wallace Purling. Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the Innkeeper was there, waiting.
“What do you want?” Wally said, swinging the door open with a gruff gesture.
“We seek lodging.”
“Seek it elsewhere.” Wally looked straight ahead but spoke vigorously. “The inn is filled.”
“Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary.”
“There is no room in the inn for you.” Wally looked properly stern.
“Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired.”
Now, for the first time, the Innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.
“No! Begone!” the prompter whispered from behind the curtain.
“No!" Wally repeated automatically. “Begone!”
Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband’s shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The Innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the desperate couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.
It was right then that Wally realized exactly what had happened that night. And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all the others.
“Don’t go, Joseph,” Wally cried out. “Bring Mary back.” And Wallace Purling’s face grew into a bright smile. “You can have my room.”
A few old grouches in tiny town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet most attending that night considered it the best Christmas pageant they had ever seen.
December 20, 2009
December 17, 2009
For Wendy
A couple nights ago I had a dream that I was eating some Lay's (barbeque!) potato chips and one of them had a bubble with a hole in it that was shaped like a heart. I tried to take a picture of it but couldn't get the flash to work properly.
Anyway, the reason I wanted a picture was so I could give it to Wendy for her ever so cute blog!
Apparently my subconscious likes it as well. :)
Anyway, the reason I wanted a picture was so I could give it to Wendy for her ever so cute blog!
Apparently my subconscious likes it as well. :)
December 16, 2009
Day 16 - Dave Barry
For Dad. :)
Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.
In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it "Hanukka" and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Hanukka!" or (to the atheists) "Look out for the wall!"
These days, people say "Season's Greetings," which, when you think about it, means nothing. It's like walking up to somebody and saying "Appropriate Remark" in a loud, cheerful voice. But "Season's Greetings" is safer, because it does not refer to any actual religion. Some day, I imagine, even "Season's Greetings" will be considered too religious, and we'll celebrate the Holiday Season by saying "Have a nice day."
Some of you may be unhappy with this dereligionizing of the Holiday Season, and you may have decided that, this year, you're going to celebrate it the old-fashioned way, with your family sitting around stringing cranberries and exchanging humble, handmade gifts, like on The Waltons. Well, you can forget it. If everybody pulled that kind of subversive stunt, the economy would collapse overnight. The government would have to intervene: It would form a cabinet-level Department of Holiday Gift-Giving, which would spend billions and billions of tax dollars to buy Barbie dolls and electronic games, which it would drop on the populace from Air Force jets, killing and maiming thousands. So, for the good of the nation, you should go along with the Holiday Program. This means you should get a large sum of money and go to a mall.
Gifts for Men
Men are amused by almost any idiot thing - that is why professional ice hockey is so popular - so buying gifts for them is easy. But you should never buy them clothes. Men believe they already have all the clothes they will ever need, and new ones make them nervous. For example, your average man has 84 ties, but he wears, at most, only three of them. He has learned, through humiliating trial and error, that if he wears any of the other 81 ties, his wife will probably laugh at him ("You're not going to wear THAT tie with that suit, are you?"). So he has narrowed it down to three safe ties, and has gone several years without being laughed at. If you give him a new tie, he will pretend to like it, but deep inside he will hate you.
If you want to give a man something practical, consider tires. More than once, I would have gladly traded all the gifts I got for a new set of tires.
link!
Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.
In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it "Hanukka" and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Hanukka!" or (to the atheists) "Look out for the wall!"
These days, people say "Season's Greetings," which, when you think about it, means nothing. It's like walking up to somebody and saying "Appropriate Remark" in a loud, cheerful voice. But "Season's Greetings" is safer, because it does not refer to any actual religion. Some day, I imagine, even "Season's Greetings" will be considered too religious, and we'll celebrate the Holiday Season by saying "Have a nice day."
Some of you may be unhappy with this dereligionizing of the Holiday Season, and you may have decided that, this year, you're going to celebrate it the old-fashioned way, with your family sitting around stringing cranberries and exchanging humble, handmade gifts, like on The Waltons. Well, you can forget it. If everybody pulled that kind of subversive stunt, the economy would collapse overnight. The government would have to intervene: It would form a cabinet-level Department of Holiday Gift-Giving, which would spend billions and billions of tax dollars to buy Barbie dolls and electronic games, which it would drop on the populace from Air Force jets, killing and maiming thousands. So, for the good of the nation, you should go along with the Holiday Program. This means you should get a large sum of money and go to a mall.
Gifts for Men
Men are amused by almost any idiot thing - that is why professional ice hockey is so popular - so buying gifts for them is easy. But you should never buy them clothes. Men believe they already have all the clothes they will ever need, and new ones make them nervous. For example, your average man has 84 ties, but he wears, at most, only three of them. He has learned, through humiliating trial and error, that if he wears any of the other 81 ties, his wife will probably laugh at him ("You're not going to wear THAT tie with that suit, are you?"). So he has narrowed it down to three safe ties, and has gone several years without being laughed at. If you give him a new tie, he will pretend to like it, but deep inside he will hate you.
If you want to give a man something practical, consider tires. More than once, I would have gladly traded all the gifts I got for a new set of tires.
link!
December 15, 2009
25 Days of Christmas - Day 15
I love the words to this song, especially the stanza about touching the baby's hand. "Will he know we've come so far, just for his sake?"
How far is it to Bethlehem?
Not very far.
Shall we find the stable room
Lit by a star?
Can we see the little child?
Is he within?
If we lift the wooden latch
May we go in?
May we stroke the creatures there
Ox, ass, or sheep?
May we peep like them and see
Jesus asleep?
If we touch his tiny hand
Will he awake?
Will he know we've come so far
Just for his sake?
Great kings have precious gifts
And we have naught
Little smiles and little tears
Are all we brought.
For all weary children
Mary must weep
Here, on his bed of straw
Sleep, children, sleep.
God in his mother's arms
Babes in the byre
Sleep, as they sleep who find
Their heart's desire.
December 14, 2009
Day 14 - Miracle on 34th Street
Okay, if you haven't seen this movie you are really missing out on some Christmas Spirit. It is so sweet and just makes me happy when I watch it.
My favorite part is when Kris teaches Susan about imagination and they play pretend but I couldn't find a good clip to post. =/
By the way Lyle and my dad are outside putting up our Christmas lights right now. Are you excited? Because I'm excited.
My favorite part is when Kris teaches Susan about imagination and they play pretend but I couldn't find a good clip to post. =/
By the way Lyle and my dad are outside putting up our Christmas lights right now. Are you excited? Because I'm excited.
December 13, 2009
Day 13
This comic made me lol. :)
Luckily I don't actually have to worry about pretty much any of this stuff, but for the mothers reading my blog...
For Better or For Worse
Luckily I don't actually have to worry about pretty much any of this stuff, but for the mothers reading my blog...
For Better or For Worse
December 12, 2009
Day 12 - Christmas Memories
Yesterday evening I was babysitting for a family in our ward. The girls were in bed when I got there but one of them woke up an hour later crying for her mother. I brought her out, gave her some chocolate milk, and put on a Christmas cartoon for her (as suggested by her mother). As I watched her lying under a blanket on the couch I was filled with Christmas memories. They had their tree up next to the couch and some souped up carols were coming from the movie she was watching.
I can remember getting out of bed when I was younger to go sit in front of our Christmas tree, after the rest of my family was asleep. The heater was on, the smell and sound of which always remind me of Christmas. I loved sitting there watching this little girl as she fell asleep in front of the Christmas tree.
I can't wait for this Christmas when so many of my nieces and nephews will be here! (We'll miss you Jenny =/) Christmas is so much better when you have children to celebrate it with.
I can remember getting out of bed when I was younger to go sit in front of our Christmas tree, after the rest of my family was asleep. The heater was on, the smell and sound of which always remind me of Christmas. I loved sitting there watching this little girl as she fell asleep in front of the Christmas tree.
I can't wait for this Christmas when so many of my nieces and nephews will be here! (We'll miss you Jenny =/) Christmas is so much better when you have children to celebrate it with.
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