A Treasure in A Barn

 Today we went in search of a radiator to put in the basement. Where else does one look but in an old barn no longer in use for cows, cats and chickens but used for storage?

A barn with cracks in the ceiling, letting light filter down through onto dusty piles of forgotten hay.
A barn that is usually still and quiet with not even the dust stirring in the air except when the breeze blows through just right.

A barn that was undisturbed until today when a 10 year old boy descended.

A barn that was full of interesting nooks & crannies.
A barn that held wooden crates, horseshoes, doors and remnants of windows, sleds, and the odds & ends of construction. A barn that had forgotten places where barley, oats and wheat were once stored to feed the flock. An old car. A wagon. Pipes and pipe dreams.



















A barn. A simple barn.

Full of treasures, full of junk and possibility.
Full of the scent of memories.

Of hard labor carving stone and hewing logs.
Memories of a family who once lived here leaving their mark so the next family and the next would see who lived here once upon a time.



















Once upon a time in a barn"…hmmmm






And it came to pass that in a a stable long ago, a stable full of stink, animals and dirt, a stable that wasn't meant as a place of hospitality, that Joseph, Mary and their unborn baby were settled into by a frazzled innkeeper who did his very best to accommodate. That old stable, the safest, softest place that these weary travelers could go to on a chilly night when the stars shone through the cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the dust that was disturbed. Yes, it came to pass.

 On a night that held no promise for the magnificent, it became so for the Mighty God appeared.
In the dark, when fears could've overtaken them, there was peace, for the Prince of Peace was born.
When all felt lost and they may have thought they lost their way, they didn't, for they were being led by a Wonderful Counselor.
As a manger was provided, water was found along with fresh hay. They were provided for as only a father would take care of the ones he loves, as an Everlasting Father would.

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

In a barn, a treasure was found. A treasure beyond worth, this baby was wrapped gently in strips of cloth prepared in advance by his mother. She held him close as He nursed at her breast. He was placed, sleepy-eyed into the manger while His parents gazed in awe at the gift they'd been given.

In a humble stable, this baby, Emmanuel "God with us", made His mark on the world. His "once upon a time in a stable" became our happily ever after. This Christmas I am thankful for the reminders that have nothing to do with tinsel, lights and presents (although I do like all those!) but have more to do with the realness that Jesus was born in a stable, humbly but yet oh, so gloriously.

Love,
Dianne