I was recently at my friend’s home and she showed me this precious Madonna and Child.  It is made out of tiny beads and is only 4 inches tall.

The story of this tiny figure is that my friend was shopping in the market area of Puerto Vallarta and noticed a young man beading different articles.  Amazed at his work, she stopped to visit and asked if he had any nativity sets.  Given her “Tex Mex” he didn’t quite understand but finally clicked with “baby Jesus and Mary”.  After several days of his being absent from his regular place, she wondered if he would be back.  But the day she was scheduled to leave he appeared with this beautiful Madonna and Child.  So very special!

It reminds me of one of my very favorite Christmas stories found in the book  “Christmas Moccasins”, written and illustrated by Ray Buckley.  A woman and her grandson were walking through the woods when three youth who were drunk knocked them down, took their coats and the grandmother’s moccasins.  They had to walk home barefoot in the snow and frostbite took two of the woman’s toes.

Then she began a spiritual journey of beading three pair of moccasins.

Over time she beaded the tops and sides, and then the unexpected…she began to bead the bottoms, something rarely seen.

On Christmas Eve she wrapped up the moccasins and began the long walk to the house of the three youth.  She handed the gift to each one, “Merry Christmas.  God bless you”.  No other words were spoken.  The story ends with words from the grandson as he returned with his grandmother walking through the woods, “In the small house were captives of God’s love.  But we were liberated by the same love.”

The gift of forgiveness.  Here is a prayer from “Prayers, Praises, and Thanksgivings” compiled by Sandol Stoddard:

Questions to think about…

How would you explain freedom and forgiveness being in the same package?

Where have you witnessed forgiveness?

nk