And now a mother she is.
She can hardly believe it!

The force of labour
still aches the body.
And the smell of new life
is still to be smelled
on the small babies head.

The angel had said
to call the little one:
"Jesus"
and so they've done.
No reason not to.

She feels amazed.
How could such a tiny little baby
survive what they had gone through?
The long journey,
walking till exhaustion,
or being pulled back and forth
on a donkeys back.
The cold at night
and the burning sun
during the day.
And the hunger and thirst.

So many babies die
for lesser reason.
Mothers and fathers
who are healthy
and take all care
during pregnancy
have no living baby in their arms.

She shivers..
And the birth...
none to help but Josef.
No new sheets
but an old towel,
clean though,
on a bundle of straw.

In the silence of the nights
she hears every little noise
he makes in his sleep.

Look those hairs..
They're long and black
and make him already seem bigger
than he truly is.

Once again
she kisses his forehead.
Then wraps him in cloths.

As tiny as he is
he has survived
this journey and his birth.

Then he suddenly opens his eyes...