Dinner: $100. Friendship: Priceless

Yeah, I know it's trite, but alas, it's true. I just came back from a trip to see my old school buddies in the USA. I have to admit that the very thought of seeing them after over a quarter of a century had me in a bit of a state. I was so nervous that I barely able to sleep the night before and two hours before the event was to take place, I was uncontrollably weeping due to fear.

It was all for nothing.

Time seemed to have stood still.

We met at a "family" restaurant because it seemed to be the best and most neutral location and would probably have something everyone could eat. But it was the conversation. It seemed to pick up right from where we had left off. The incessant teasing, the double entendre, the shared history took me back to my late teens. There was no awkwardness. There was no fear of putting a foot wrong and offending. The conversation flowed as if we had never been apart.

I suppose that is what makes friendships so incredibly special. Yes we have gone in different directions and are doing things today that we could never have envisioned ourselves doing 25 years ago. Yes, we have a few gray hairs and some extra poundage that wasn't there upon our graduation from high school. Yes, we each have had some harrowing experiences that have given us a maturity that would shock many of our old teachers. But we came together as we are now, remembering who we were then, and still enjoyed acceptance.

We remembered our extended friendships and wished they were with us. By the time the evening ended, if everyone we discussed had shown up the party would have been over 50 people!

And we promised we would do it again with everyone there.

But why is this important? Why do we need to keep contact with people we haven't seen for over half our life? Who are they really? They are some of the most important people we will ever know. They are the people who helped mold us into the adults we are today even if they don't realise it. They are the first people we freely chose to take into our confidence outside our immediate family. They are the first people we stood up and defended when our parents gasped in horror. They are the people with whom we had many of our "firsts" on the way to adulthood.

Did everyone turn out to be a perfect, gleaming, Disney-fied adult? If I'm any thing to go by, the answer is no. But I became an adult. And so did my friends. And in the 25 years I kept them close in my heart, they also did not forget me totally.

Will it happen? Will we come together again? Oddly, I think it will. The net of friendship has been cast out far and wide. Our "lost" ones are slowly being gathered back in. Will we be closer and have more to share with each other? Yes. How do I know this? Because true friendships never die.

Dinner: $100.

Friendship: Priceless.

What I Learned On My Summer Holiday

This is the text I sent to my cell group from Church because I am due to be out of town dealing with my Mum again.

Dear Everyone,

Isn't email great? I can be both with you and in my home town at the same time! Gotta love technology sometimes.

When I received Julia's email regarding testimonies about what God has done for us this past summer, I knew I had to respond. After all, I have had a rather interesting summer (and spring and winter....). At the bottom of the email, Julia put and I quote, “His grace is sufficient for this day.” I can only say Amen to that. I'm sure that you all are familiar with the poem “Footprints”. Personally, I can't read it without becoming all soppy because, for me, that is just more than true. It is my life.

Now those of you who know me closely know that I have managed to pack 3 lifetimes into my 45 years. I have done so much – both good and evil – to the point that many folks think I suffer from a hyper-active imagination. As a person who (also) writes novels, I will tell you honestly that if I were to create the character Kay Guinness, I would NEVER give her the trials and tribulations I've been through. No one would believe me! But God has given them to me and for a very good reason. It is through them I have gained understanding (not wisdom which is different) and with that understanding I hope to be able to help others. There is a purpose in all things.

I understand in the most intimate of ways that I have not walked a step alone in my entire life, even in my most evil of days and in the time of my rejection of His Grace, HE still walked patiently beside me. But I digress.....

I haven't been to see y'all recently because at Easter, 2 weeks after I returned, I had a heart attack. Fortunately it was caught on the heart monitor I was wearing and from that point onwards lots of things medical began to happen. I had another one at the beginning of July which made me basically bedridden until my surgery on 13 July. If you want details of that surgery, I'm sure the (rather pointed) email of my experiences can be dug up from an archive somewhere. The thing that is important is that during that surgery, my heart was stopped. For all intents and purposes, I was dead.

I learned a lot from that very long 15 seconds. Firstly I learned that the body does not like death and will do everything within its power to fight it. The instinct for life is so strong that when it is thwarted, it hurts in a way that only the word Hell covers. At the time I was on 30 mg of morphine and I was screaming it was so intense. I was in a form of Hell. My body wanted to live.

Secondly, I learned a bit of what Jesus Christ willingly went through.

Death is usually a permanent condition for the body. It is also something we, as humans, spend a lot of time thinking about how to avoid. Who would I die for? Who would I suffer that agony again for? Obviously, my children. I think most parents would be willing to give up their life for their offspring. They are my genetic material; my hopes and dreams; the bearers of my future and of our world. Yes, I would die for my children.

Given I would die for my children, would I die for my husband? Truthfully, I would have to think long and hard over that. I can't give you an honest answer out of hand. It would depend on the circumstances.

Would I be willing to die for the benefit of someone I don't know but who could be important to the world as a whole? Probably not. Sad but true, my selfish gene just showed up.

Would I be willing to die for the benefit of someone I don't know but who will be living in 1900 years? NO WAY. That would be foolish.

That is why Jesus is divine. He could do that. He could die for His friends right then and there. He could die for His community's future. He could die for me.

I “died” so I could live. Jesus “died” so I could live. Therefore, logic would take this argument here: I must “live” so that I can die yet live. My temporary death had a purpose. Jesus' temporary death had a purpose. Therefore my life must also have a purpose and it must be worthy of the sacrifices made for it.

Working to God's plan for me means that my life in some way will be worthy and will fulfill the promise made that though I was dead, yet shall I live.

So far, this is not rocket science. This is basic Christian doctrine. But do we understand it?

The pain of my heart being stopped and then restarted was incredible and intense. To think that Jesus Christ went through that pain and more as His heart ripped (very common occurrence with crucifixion, hence the comments about hearts “breaking”), yet Jesus didn't scream or ask for morphine or grind his teeth. His death on the cross was horrible. So horrible that all civilised countries ban crucifixion as a method of execution. And He would have been fighting His human body that wanted to live. The Roman soldiers weren't being cruel when they broke the legs of the condemned – they were being kind by trying to shock the body to a quicker death. And Jesus didn't even get that.

From what I experienced it humbles me to such a level to think that He would endure such agony for me. Even IF Jesus was just a man, such an action shows a level of love and dedication beyond human capacity that would transform Him beyond mere mortal.

Yet Jesus is divine: The Prince of Heaven. He knew what He was doing (sorta like I did) and He knew the pain involved (unlike me) AND HE STILL CHOOSE TO GO THROUGH WITH IT.

I wouldn't.

I now know too much. I may have a divine spark or burn with a holy fire at times, but only the truly Divine would.

What have I come to understand? Nothing I can sensible articulate beyond this:

I have begun to understand:
1.The true meaning and sentiment behind the words of the Passion and text of the litany.
2.The true level of sacrifice Jesus made on a human level.
3.The very beginning of the meaning of Grace.


I'll see y'all in October.

The Fourth of July

Today many of my friends and a few of my family will be playing softball, eating ice cream, swimming and attending a national barbecue followed by enough fireworks to upset the air traffic control of the world. Today they will, for the most part, be enjoying themselves just being themselves.

And we will hate them for it.

And we will wish we were there.

I feel somewhat sad that the English have chosen to have little to celebrate. Wimbledon is a wash...again. Not even a brave Scot could save "British Tennis"... again. Associated Football last gave us a thing to celebrate in 1966 and we wait for a repeat. We won The War in 1945 -- yet VE goes unnoticed. We won The War in 1918 -- November 11th is not a day for bunting but reflection. The Colonial Wars are all but forgotten except for a few memorials dotted around and A Level history students (who will forget them once they are in university). Yet, American's have a national blow-out party for a single action that actually took place on July 3rd, 1776.

We don't like them because they took OUR place. One hundred years Britain ruled the world and told everyone how to behave. Now we have to be the Junior Partner to a group of people we consider uncouth and unfit to sit at a table with us. We cut them by claiming they have no culture and their football is a bastardised Rugby. We think they are simple minded for being so devoutly religious. We think their cities are dens of inequity and all who enter have a death wish.

And then we whisper that we wish we could live there.

The Loud Americans with their big cars and horrendous clothes care little for us or so our media masters say. Americans, as put by the country music star Charlie Daniels, "might have done a little bit of fightin' amongst ourselves,", but today they celebrate being a single people. With the exception of the Native Americans, they know they have come to this peice of land from all over with a single dream of creating a place worthy of life. Yes, they have made a mess of it at times. Then again, so have we. Yet, they do care about us because they remember that once their family wasn't there. And on this day Americans will celebrate both how they are different and how they are the same.

Perhaps we should look carefully at what Americans are celebrating. They too have a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious society that is filled with debt, disease and fear. Yet they seem to rise above it better than we do. And yes, their national holiday is in the middle of summer which is a grand time to have party. Our forgotten St. George's Day(23 April) is usually raining and cold. They do not equate love of country with racism or a political party. They are proud to fly their flag and ask for God's blessings on their country. Most Americans still consider the single most important character trait is honesty.

July 4: another reason to hate Americans for getting something right.

Another reason to wish we were there.

Smoke and Mirrors

I realise that this post is a bit late but I have enjoyed a summer cold. Summer? Or is it Global Warming? Or is it Climate Change? That is the question. Much like the weather, the latest UK governmental education initiative is more smoke and mirrors than actual substance.

Apparently now homeschooling parents must be placed on a register in order to monitor them for abuse. I would laugh most caustically if it weren't for the fact of the abuse at a nursery in Plymouth. It is obvious that the government feels it is necessary to be "seen" doing something rather than actually doing something. Handgun crime has not fallen as predicted after the draconian gun laws instituted after Dunblane. This register, like the removal of legally owned and held handguns from innocent private citizens, will not solve a problem that is endemic in society. It merely attempts to distract the public from the true depth of horror this nursery abuse exposes.

As I have said before, abuse is part of our society. Children abuse children -- we call it bullying and try to claim it is character building. Teenagers abuse teenagers -- we call it gang violence and blame parents for not controlling their children. Adults abuse adults -- we call it lots of things from "Office Politics" to "Spousal Abuse" to "Crime". But if we look carefully at our society -- the whole thing worldwide from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe -- it is obvious that mankind is little better than the animals. Registers for the reporting and prevention of abuse will only be useful if someone somewhere is willing to do something about it.

The Homeschooling Register will not stop abuse. Nursery Workers in the UK, like teachers or anyone working with children, must have a criminal background check. I have had several. Yet, Vanessa George and Angela Allen had these and nothing came to light. To their employers at Little Ted's they were safe, acceptable workers who could be trusted with small children. If the authorities are unable to identify abusers they have done a CRB on, how do they think they will be able to spot abusers in a homeschooling situation?

The claim that homeschooling makes abuse more possible is an interesting question. In my years of teaching I ran across one, what I thought was real, case of abuse. I did as I was instructed to do, informed the various authorities and ... nothing happened. Actually, that is not true. The family moved 4 months after the initial investigation to another part of the country. Did the investigation follow them? I doubt it. From what I can tell of the homeschooling community, most parents take this difficult, expensive and emotive decision to homeschool ONLY after all other options have been closed to them. Many enter into homeschooling because their children have been abused by the failures of the education system to either educate children or protect them from harm.

So what is the point of this new layer of intrusive bureaucracy? It is to distract people from the real issue that state controlled education is a fiasco with little ability to meet the most basic of mandates: a literate populace. It will provide those finger pointers with yet another tool to damn those who wish to teach and learn outside of state controlled parameters. It will allow the Local Education Authorities to attempt to control more of the non-traditional classrooms. It will make the Government look responsive. It will do everything BUT address the real issue.

Smoke and Mirrors. Where'd'ya look? Where'd'ya look!

Who is Testing Whom?

As could have been predicted by those who know these things, I now have my children out of school. As I said in the previous post, this was a matter of necessity due to my mother's health more than me making some type of formal stand against the system. And it seems that I don't even have to make a such stand as the "professionals" are doing it for me. They have decided to fight the Government on the Key Stage exams. About bloody time, too.

It was first time I watched a child really fall apart with the Key Stage exam when I began noticing that my youngest was becoming a very unhappy, argumentative and clinging little boy. I asked other parents if their children were experiencing the same thing and they said yes to various degrees. Then my 6 year old told me that he was being kept in at his break times and a bit during his lunch times so that he could finish his work and be prepared for these exams. He came home with two revision booklets that he was supposed to work on during the holidays. I was floored. HE IS SIX!!!!

Beyond the age issue comes the real question: Who is this test for? It is not for the students. It is for the school and is the measure by which they are ordered in the League Tables. More importantly, the Key Stage 1 exams which are given to all Year 2 pupils in England are not formal written exams. The grades are based on what the TEACHERS feel the child has accomplished. So why the pressure cooker? If you can't teach them basic reading, writing and maths in the 3 years before the exam, why try to force it into them the last term before you "mark" them?

Furthermore, if it is the TEACHERS doing the grading, isn't it rather cruel to the Year 2 teachers to take the flack for the failings of the previous years educators? How can the burden of fixing two failed years of education be placed on the shoulders of a small group of Year 2 teachers and assistants? Like all things in the education system, it is not properly thought through or implemented.

"So what is the answer, O Wise Woman?", you might ask. My answer for education is the same for riding horses. Do Less: Achieve More.

My children's curriculum was loaded with lots of things for them to do and accomplish, but how much has any real value? From what I have discovered, not much was learned or valued. Since I have been homeschooling for over a year now, I don't feel that I am such a novice at this business. I can see what the children are needing and I fill that gap. What I have learned my children need are the basic skills that make any and all real education possible.

My children can now add and subtract and understand that although this is abstract it is also concrete: it matters a lot that 2 + 2 = 4 especially when it is your allowance (money) involved.

My children are becoming very good readers which has opened up to them a new world of discovery: The Public Library. Because they can read and read well, more of the world's wonders (astronomy, history, geography, Star Wars, art) are available to them and filling their minds and their curiosity.

My children are now able to write properly which means they can use a pen and a piece of paper and explain, discuss and tell what is in their imagination and knowledge. Time spent learning how to form letters correctly builds an ability to spell independently of a spell check and allows them the opportunity of self expression at a moment's notice.

They are doing less by the standards of the National Curriculum and the various Key Stages, but they are learning so much more. They have a new appreciation of their world. The games they are playing are far more complex than those of other children. My elder two have begun to make games that they want to share with the world: one is a fantasy story and the other is a war game based on WW2. They are finding that maths is fun because it has a purpose. It is as if someone has lit an educational fire beneath them.

Okay, so it works for them, but will it work for everyone? No.

"No" is not a politically positive word. In fact, it is very negative. And that is the problem with education currently. No one wants to say "No." Politicians are elected on their promises of fixing the education system. Tony Blair & Barack Obama both achieved the highest office in their respected countries on the basis that they could solve the mystery of bad education. Everyone knows the system doesn't work, but no one is brave enough to say, "STOP!"

The education system must stop. We need the education system to stop. Completely. Then we need to figure out exactly what the purpose is and how best to achieve it. The banking system failed and the governments stopped it. They are now putting things in place so that such a disaster can't happen again (yeah, right). Assets were frozen, liabilities were weighed and job loses happened. It wasn't and isn't pretty, but it is necessary. Banks aren't the only industry to have experienced this -- telecoms and dot-coms have all gone through the same process. Why should education be any different?

The system isn't failing, it's dead. It is at the original position of 'would someone turn the light out when they leave'. There is no amount of testing at any age of any pupil that will resurrect it in its current form. There is no amount of psychological anguish that justifies a system that fails not only a community, but a country and world as well. There are no amount of prayers to God to save a child who truly does not understand what he/she has been taught for YEARS (!) that should allow this system to continue.

Education will not be saved by the politician, but by the parent. Education will be saved by the people who do not value their offspring as a political commodity, but as the future. Education will be best served when it is not the master of the society's ideals but the servant that fulfills them. Education must cease to be the goal and become the tool.

Our children's future must be removed from the ambitious, trough seeking politician and returned to those who have a vested interest in the success of the child. Am I saying that education should become a parent run business? Yes. And with all the checks, balances and financial wherewithal that responsibility brings. Children are not yet the property of the government and we must being to realise that.

Again, this is not incredible insight. It is just a voice in the wilderness stating the facts. Britian built the world in the Industrial Revolution and created the modern lifestyle with the emphasis on well learned basic educational skills. I am not ready for the slums of Manchester again, but if we don't teach our children to read, write and do maths, the slums of world will be on our doorstep.

My answer: Do Less. Do it right. Take time so that there is understanding. Know the reason why you are doing what you are doing.

DO LESS: ACHIEVE MORE.

Understanding Vs. Egocentrism

Nearly a year ago my friend, Sanely Maniacal, wrote about the path that he was heading down now that his mother has Alzheimer's (AD). I was truly sympathetic to his situation and we had some seriously close calls with his mental health due to the stress of situation. His road has been tough but he has survived and even grown from the experience -- profit is perhaps too strong a word to use. I listened when he needed me to and offered a shoulder to cry on or a kind target when he needed to scream.

Then last November, my world fell apart. My mother was diagnosed with AD.

I tried hard to be her carer -- after all, I had all the knowledge that Sanely has provided and began to read all I could on early AD treatment. I knew that she needed to have a schedule that was calm and somewhat set; she needed good balanced meals that would provide all the vitamins and minerals; she needed things set for in her in the same place each day; and, most important, she needed to take her tablets as directed. Unfortunately, Mum did not read the same books.

I should have been more realistic and less positive that I could manage her disease when the first day we came together as a family she overdosed on her medication because she didn't understand how to take it. Fortunately she has a stomach that can reject things quickly and she wasn't poisoned too badly. I didn't see the sign-post. Or I didn't want to see the sign-post.

Mum began spending 12 to 14 hours in bed. She claimed that she was always cold and I was to "feel my hands" -- which warm to hot, but she was cold. We couldn't get the house warm enough even at 27 degrees and such heat made the boys sick with respiratory infections. She didn't want to eat (but she did most of the time) and every meal she complained I served her too much. She was eating less than my 6 year old! She said I was trying to make her fat so that I felt better about myself. ARGH! But she would eat chocolate...by the pound. Thornton's stock must have gone through the roof with all I bought her over the last 4 months (perhaps that is why they didn't go bankrupt like everyone else on the High Street).

Mum also decided to make things awful. Intentionally or not, she ruined Christmas, New Year and my eldest's 10th birthday. She was becoming nasty and very rude to the point of referring to her granddaughter as "That Girl With the Long Blonde Hair". But mostly she was becoming violent. Her favourite target was her 6 year old grandson. Then she punched me.

My husband and I decided that she was unhappy and anxious about being in our home and this was the root of the violence, so we decided that our marriage was strong enough to survive our being apart for awhile so I could sort some type of home nursing help for Mum in her own home. So in February I took the children out of school (permanently-more on that later) and returned to my mother's home. According to the books this was to make things better, but in fact all it did was reward "bad" behaviour and she became even worse. She stopped taking her medicine and accused me of poisoning her. At the beginning of March, Mum was so out of control that I was in fear for my youngest constantly while the others sat in a confused daze as to what had happened to Grandma. I took the only step I could and put her into a full-care facility.

This was supposed to make things better and in some ways it has. We now know that her rapid degeneration is due to both AD and cancer. With Mum in a place that could take care of her and deal with her violence, I could then help my traumatised children. I also had to deal with the fact that I had failed. I could not care for my mother. So I went home.

The fact that I failed made me both angry and depressed. Neither of these emotions are in the least bit useful and are very destructive. I attended a support group (which I will return to when back at Mum's) which is excellent. I quickly learned I was not alone on this horrid road and that these people were not only carers to their loved ones but to each other. I really miss them now. This helped my depression but did not help my anger.

I was angry that God had put me into this position. As you know, I am Christian and take that responsibility very seriously. And I was furious with the All Mighty. How dare HE do this to me. Where is all the "I will always be there for you" and "I will love you until the end of your days" things? If this is how the faithful are treated, then perhaps the Old Testament is a very clear picture of who HE really is -- and it isn't very pretty. Perhaps this Jesus thing is just a bunch of spin doctoring PR. So I shouted at HIM all my anger.

The thing about yelling is that you don't have time to listen. Fortunately, God and Jesus are slightly above such things -- sorta. Eventually, I got shouted back at and told, "Shut UP, you silly child! This isn't about YOU." Needless to say, this was not the answer I was looking for. But it is the correct one.

We do reap what we sow. My mother's life was one of contradictions and extremities. She smoked, drunk and swore like a sailor, yet she prayed and praised each Sunday. She was violent with her children (at a level today we think is unacceptable but not so in the 1960s) yet taught us to meak and kind like Jesus. Thus her life was chaotic, so will be her death. Yet the process allows those Christians who are fullfilling their mission to do God's Will. My mother is treated with a loving dignity and care by people who believe that this where their lives have been purposely led. It isn't about me. It's about them.

Jesus healed the sick and helped the poor. I suppose that He could heal my mother but for what purpose? She is 83 and has lived a full measure of days. I hope I am granted the same, but only the Father knows these things. Jesus could not do the miracles He did if it weren't for there being sick and poor people. The Doctors and Nurses treating my mother and others with AD could not do their mission if there were no Alzheimer's Disease.

It is hard to accept that bad things happen to good people. But when it does happen it allows people who spiritually gifted in these areas to be released to do the work and show God's power and mercy.

It sounds so pat ... so trite. It isn't clever or complicated. It isn't fancy or have flashing lights or fireworks. It's hard and it's dirty -- like working in a Garden -- and it is the way God works. God will make us depend on each other as much as we depend on HIM (the Golden Commandment) and when Adam and Eve sinned, HE told us what to expect.

So, it's not about me. I'm glad. I'm relieved. I can start to continue living my life the way HE wants me to. Oh, it's also not about Mum either.

It's all about God.

And There were Shepherds

Christmas has passed (and for that matter so has summer and autumn. And the garden was beautiful this year) with all the usual hub-bub and manicness that the "Special Season" brings. In the midst of this madness I was hit by a random thought: Why the shepherds? This all came about on Christmas Eve as my youngest was dressed to go to the annual crib service. I, being the well organised Mum that I am, opted for the great last minute costume of dressing gown shepherd ("No dear, they didn't have Bart Simpson on them but I am sure God knows what you are meaning") with tea towels held on by a curtain sash cord ("No, you don't look silly with it on and I am sure somewhere in the Holy Land there was a shepherd with a green checked head covering"). Of course the youngest wanted to carry a light saber to ward off any Romans who would want to crucify Baby Jesus. That was met with a stern statement of notification to Father Christmas should such an implement make it into church.

As I sat and watched my children be amazed by the Angel Gabriel (and argue that her name was really Kristy and that Gabriel was a stupid name for a boy anyway) I started to wonder, "why the shepherds?" Overall, shepherds aren't big characters in the Biblical narrative. Yes, David was a shepherd at one point, as was Able for a short time and Joseph's brothers. The way the Old Testament deals with this occupation is rather similar to how we view fast food workers: a brief nod and let's get on to the politicians.

Putting things in a historical context led me to a brief troll on the net regarding life spans. Most of the articles confirmed what I already knew: People who were 30 years of age were a rare and wondrous thing. They were considered a blessing of the gods. Granted there were exceptions, as there usually are, such as Pharaoh Pepi II who lived for nearly 100 years, reigning 96 of them. Now Pepi had all the advantages that the wealthy and powerful had, The Shepherds did not. It is a well documented fact that the further down one is on the standard of living scale, then shorter your life expectancy is. This is as true today as it was 2000 years ago. So why the shepherds?

Shepherds are simple folk. They have the advantage of not being financially enslaved to religion. The birth of Jesus, now at the accepted time of 3BC, was during the Roman occupation of the Holy Lands. The Roman system of belief was complicated and expensive. It was more important to be seen "doing the right things" than "believing the right things." The Romans were generally tolerant of different religions providing these beliefs did not openly constitute a threat against imperial power. Rome was willing to work with the Hebrew state/religion so long as peace was maintained. The benefits of Roman occupation were well known as living standards and life styles improved due to trade and, ultimately, the security the Roman Army provided. To progress socially was to embrace all that Rome offered. This would cost money as well as ideals. The Shepherds were outside of this circle, therefore free to embrace their beliefs fully in what meager ways they had available. Still, why The Shepherds?

I am coming to idea that The Shepherds fell under the radar of Roman observation. They were poor -- but employed, therefore not really a threat as who would listen to them? They were not highly educated and therefore could be dismissed as 'incapable of understanding the complexities of life'. They were not in a powerful position so therefore anything they said would not cause political unrest. They could be, as we do to people in the same socio-economic position today, ignored. Therefore, when God The Father had his Angels and Arch-Angels announce the birth of His son, He used whispers rather than shouts.

Now you might counter this by pointing out that God put a whopping great star in the sky. True. And if we saw such a thing today we might think, "Wow! Isn't that pretty. I wonder why it is there." And that is about all we would do. Life would crowd in on us and by the end of the first week we probably wouldn't even notice it anymore. You see, somethings never change. And how do I know that my idea could be valid? When the Wise Men from the East appeared at Herod's court, Herod became worried and all Jerusalem with him (Matt. 2:1-3). The star was obviously well noted, yet the King, the Chief Priest, the Scribes and everyone who was anyone didn't get the meaning. Rich people wishing to give gifts to a child in Bethlehem could spell massive trouble with the Roman authorities from whom Herod got his power. Shepherds giving gifts, worship and adoration would never be noticed. For the second time, the Angels had to save the blessed ones from Earthly authority (Matt 2:12, 13).

Alright, if God whispered, then what about the Angels appearing and giving glory? That surely would have caused some noise. Probably, but then one might need to be in the right place at the right time. From the maps I have looked at regarding settlement area around Bethlehem, there are not a lot of people either now or then. Unlike the USA or Russia, or even, the UK, Israel and the West Bank are small. There is a patch of arable ground directly outside of the city to the east, but not much than 5 to 10 miles further in that direction and one would find oneself in the Wilderness of Judea. I'm not in good shape, but even I could do 5 miles in about 90 minutes. The Shepherds were in good shape and had to be just in order to survive. There is a bit of "wilderness/nomadic sheep farming" south of Bethlehem. This could be easier to walk from into Bethlehem.

However, how many of us actually hear what is happening on the other side of town, much less 5 miles away in the middle of the night? I live less than a half mile (as the crow flies) from a football ground. I can just hear when the local team has made a fantastic something and 10,000 people scream with joy. I am also not likely to hear much once I have gone bed. For the sake of the argument,from October to February the sun sets between 5 pm and 6 pm. Most people would be in their houses and probably sleeping by 9 pm as the sun rises at 6 am. As this was a pre-electrical, agrarian place where the lives of the inhabitants would be dominated by the sun, the only folks out at night would be those who had to be. That would include The Shepherds.

The last thing to think about here is the topography and population. Even in the time of Herod I Bethlehem was considered a bit of a back water. A 1945 Census shows the population at 8,820. The town had been sacked and rebuilt on numerous occasions as early as 529 AD. There is even an archaeologist who says that there is no evidence that the area of Bethlehem was even populated at the time of Jesus' birth. (Aviram Oshri, "Where was Jesus Born?", Archaeology, Volume 58 Number 6, November/December 2005.) I do find this to be a bit hard to believe, but I do accept that Bethlehem, for all the importance now attributed to her, was tiny. I would think somewhere in the order of 100 people. If Herod I did slaughter the innocents, it would have been of a very small number and with a mind toward causing fear of him rather than any serious attempt to murder a Messiah. Even if a whole town of 100 saw the Angels singing, that is only the start to a whisper campaign.

Not forgetting the lay of the land, populations may grow but the land doesn't change that much when it is rugged terrain. The land surrounding Bethlehem hasn't changed that much in two millennium. We are told in the Bible that people grazed sheep there and we see the same thing today. This is sheep grazing land and not good for arable farming except in small strips. Hills may have blocked the view of those folk who may have been up so late at night on that first Christmas.

So why the Shepherds? They were perfectly placed to pass on the message. They could tell their families and friends the wondrous things they had seen and would, possibly, be taken seriously. They could help "prepare the way". They could continue to tell the tale each year with virtual impunity. Many would have listen and believed. John the Baptist was one of many preachers of the time. During the lifetime of Jesus, several movements began, each calling for an apocalyptic and messianic end to Roman rule arose. Those shepherds may have been a part of this or certainly would have had more intimate knowledge of the Almighty's plan. What is interesting is that when Jesus began His ministry, he did not have to wait long or work hard for followers. The way had been very prepared. I think this was partly due to John and The Shepherds.

I think it is amazing that the Father Of All, God of the Universe, regularly choses to do HIS work in a small and quiet way. As life is becoming even more noisy for us, it is important to remember that we listen and we hear. We are so used to the spectacular as normal that we miss the miraculous in the reality. That is not to say that The Creator can't do big when he wants to. The stars prove that. HE just likes to work in the nitty-gritty of life where it is even more important to us.

So HE chose The Shepherds. And I believe they helped pave the way. And when Jesus reached maturity, He still chose the simple, common people to touch. The people who sought peace and hope. People like us.

Perhaps the message to us about them is to be a shepherd and not a king.