I DIDN’T EXPECT TO SEE IT

December 10, 2024

We had Grandma and Grandpa from Kingfisher, Oklahoma, Don’s parents, at our home for Christmas that year. We moved in September to Erlanger, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. Don accepted a teaching position at Northern Kentucky University. Rebecca was four. Our wonderful neighbor, Phyllis, said: “You have to visit the Conservatory in Cincinnati and see their amazing display of poinsettias!”

To venture across the river to Cincinnati seemed like a major expedition, but her insistence helped make the decision. We traveled to Krohn Conservatory on a cold December afternoon, and we were not disappointed. The poinsettias were displayed in two large rooms with tall ceilings and large windows. The most impressive arrangements were the tall Christmas trees made with tiers of poinsettias.

We agreed this was a trip that we would not have wanted to miss.

As we stepped outside the conservatory, we heard beautiful Christmas music and turned to see where the music was coming from. To our amazement, we had stopped close to a manger scene with real people and real animals and a real manger-looking structure in which we could gather. We walked to the setting and there was a silence that was profound. Everyone who watched was silent and we heard only the music in the background. The setting felt like the real thing—Jesus and Mary and Joseph—and the angels and the shepherds there to worship the Newborn King!

Many years later, that scene of the hushed silence before the baby Jesus reminds me to be still and remember and worship.