We live in a little town in Metro West that's off the beaten path. It doesn't boast anything too spectacular, though we love it. Tiny, quaint and friendly. It does, however, have a few oddities: the Legend of Balancing Rock (which involves some history with George Washington and his troops), the Mudville neighborhood (which claims to be the location of the 1888 Ernest Lawrence Thayer poem, "Casey at the Bat", and maintains an ongoing rivalry with Stockton, California, which makes the same claim regarding the poem's setting) and the Fatima Shrine that boasts with world's largest rosary (see blue chain below for just one link).
We'll get Sadie in front of the other places one of these days - but tonight we tackled the Shrine. They do a festival of lights during the holidays, which is quite impressive (and free!). I wish I had a better camera for night photography. There are just some things that can't quite be captured on film. This is one of them.
Sadie got a quick lesson on the key players in the Christmas game - Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the wise men. And from this, she had a lot of questions and comments. 1. When contemplating a manger display, she took a look at the plastic figurines and wondered out loud, "what are they waiting for?" 2. At a more elaborate display, Sadie spied the ceramic Jesus' kicking legs and did her own dramatic rendition. 3. Studying one of the statues of a woman kneeling before a large angel, she petting the woman's shoulder and said "I like her dress."
Whatever one's religious belief or the extent of spirituality, it made for a nice night to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Presents, shopping, wrapping and all of the obligations aside, it reminded me that I am a small piece in the grand scheme of things and I have this one life with my perfect little family.
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