The Story part 4 Keep Going

It had been a long 5 days. It was easier for the camels than it was for the donkeys. For the humans it was one foot in front of the other, again and again and again. The road had been rougher than they anticipated and it had taken time to adjust to the need to keep moving. The days had been cloudy and the nights cold, but sleeping between their donkeys had kept them warm. Mary had tried walking at first but it quickly became clear it was going to be too hard. The baby was settling and she was doing more waddling than walking. Most of the second day was spent trying to find a way to make her comfortable on Ari. He was a gentle animal and seemed to sense Mary’s needs. The silences had become longer and the chatter less.

By the end of day two, he was positive that all this would make the baby come and frankly he was terrified. He’d known absolutely nothing about childbirth except that it was dangerous. If it wasn’t for Tikvah he thought he would loose his mind. A mother of seven and grandmother of twelve, Tikvah was a gift from God, she held nothing back in their quiet conversations. He had retained his mind, was now thoroughly informed and had replaced his panic with sheer terror. Elohim was gracious, Tikvah and her family were going to Bethlehem and promised she would be there for the birth. By day four he’d reconciled himself to being terrified with company. That he could do, one step in front of the other, trust and move, trust and move.