Manifold Blessings

Shadows stretch, and hungrily they gobble up the cold and homeless, Joe and Mary shiver, searching street fronts for some sign of meekness. Mary is pregnant, Joe is jobless, faith and hope belie their plight, all is dark, but wait, a flicker penetrates the inky night. Ken and Ted's auto repair shop, first to greet the business day, a welcome in with smiles and hugs, our supplicants have found a way, a refuge from the icy blackness, blankets and a warming brew revitalizes souls in torment, homemade biscuits, homemade stew. Daylight breaks, it's Christmas morning, Ken and Ted know time won't cease for squeaky fan belts, faulty starters, broken soul mates seeking peace. German shepherds watch in awe as Mary's baby cries and sputters, workers give what they can muster, "Praise the Lord!" the 'midwife' utters. A lowly place, a sacred mission celebrated there this day, Joe and Mary ever thankful, all God's Children kneel and pray.