Posted Dec. 24, 2023

I was out in the pasture enjoying a beautiful spring day. The shepherds were watching us goats and the sheep. Snowball, my sheep friend was munching on the scrumptious spring grass while I was running and jumping around the field sampling the buds and new twigs on the trees and brush. I stopped occasionally and looked down on the village below. I had never seen so many people in the streets. I knew the locals because they knew my name and regularly came over to stroke my neck. Loved that.

But what I was seeing wasn’t the locals. My shepherds were watching the crowded streets too. As they were eating their lunch, I over heard them talking about the government wanting to count the people and everyone was required to return to the town they were born in for this count. I guess it was kind of like the shepherds counting us goats and sheep at the end of the day to make sure none of us got lost or stuck in some briers.

As evening came on, most of the goats and sheep gathered around the shepherds who had built a fire to keep the wolves away. Everyone wanted to sleep under the stars, but I wanted to go down to the quiet of the cave/barn. I liked the soft straw in the back corner. As I stood in the entrance, the streets had emptied out except for one man and a very pregnant woman on a donkey. I could tell she was pregnant because her belly stuck out just like my mom’s belly just before my little sister Bella was born.

I watched them knock on each door as they came down the street. Nobody had a room for them. The town was completely full. Finally, they came to my owners house across the street from the cave. He didn’t have any rooms left either. He closed the door and the couple headed for the next house. Suddenly, my owner opened the door and called them back. He brought them over to the cave and offered to let them stay there. They were very appreciative. Looks like I get company in my corner. I can cozy up with the donkey and we will keep each other warm. The couple snuggled up in some fresh straw and pulled a warm blanket over. It was going to be nice having company over night. I’ve never had people sleeping in the cave with me. Soon all was silent.

Since I am a goat, I have no idea what time it was, but I heard a bunch of muffled sounds coming from the couple in the next stall. Suddenly, I heard a baby cry out and I knew what had happened. I remember my sister Bella being born. There was a lantern softly glowing in the cave and soon I saw the couple come out of the stall with a baby wrapped in soft strips of cloth called “swaddling cloth”. It helps the baby transition from the tightness of the womb to the outer world. They came over to my stall and laid him in my manger. That’s the stone box my food was put in. I stood up and went over. The couple looked so happy and as I looked at their baby, I too felt a rush of happy.

Suddenly, light flooded into the cave and lit everything up. That had never happened before. Sunrise is always gradual. I looked out the cave entrance and up where all the rest of the sheep and goats had been sleeping were a bunch of glowing people talking to the shepherds. I was told later that these glowing people were angels and were telling the shepherds to go and find a baby lying in a manger, and they would be the first to see baby Jesus, God’s son.

Well, our town wasn’t very big and mangers are only found in caves, so they quickly found us and kneeled down to see the newborn baby. My shepherds were bursting with joy. I know they wanted to wake the whole town up, but who would believe them? The glowing people had disappeared so all they could do was go back to the fire in the pasture and talk among themselves.

Meanwhile, back in the cave, everything seemed quiet again. The baby slept and the young couple were astonished at the story of glowing people and who their baby really was. But hey, us goats know things. I think they already knew who their baby really was. But at that moment, he was just their baby. That’s all that really mattered.

The next morning, they showed my owner their new baby and he seemed very happy that everything had turned out okay that night. But I don’t think he realized just how important his gift of the cave and shelter for this couple was. Soon they packed up their supplies, loaded them on their donkey and went into town. I think their donkey was so tired he slept through the whole night. But I’m sure he would figure it out as they walked for days to return to their home.

I watched them leave and then ran out to the rest of my friends. I was jumping and skipping. I was so happy to have been there! I tried to tell the others, but they just didn’t get it. And there was no point in trying to tell Snowball and the rest of the sheep. All they wanted to do was eat grass and drink. Slowly, after many days, I forgot about that night and went back to running and munching in the fields. There are always a bunch of new goats and sheep born in the spring, and it’s my job to teach them how to run and jump properly, prance sideways and playfully butt heads. I tried to teach the new sheep, but usually they just don’t catch on.

There is one more piece of my story.... A couple of years later, three real fancy men came to town. They rode camels, had the finest clothes and lots of servants and guards. They were asking everyone in town whether there had been a baby born in this town who had been wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger. Well, all babies were wrapped in swaddling cloths, but who would lay a baby in a manger – a feed trough for animals? Finally, they knocked on my owner’s door and he remembered that young couple. He hadn’t told anybody about it because it wasn’t anything special – just another baby was born. He didn’t know. After thinking awhile, he remembered what town the couple were from and soon the three fancy men headed down the road on their camels with all their servants.

Soon everything went back to normal. But every once and a while, my owner brings me a treat, a gift. As I enjoy eating it, I think back to that special night and the gift that was given to all of us. I wonder whatever happened to that little baby?

That’s what good play is all about.

No directions, nobody telling you that
“you can’t do it that way”.

It’s pure discovery!