In my primary job as a hospice chaplain, I have the honor of hearing people’s stories. During a recent visit, a patient told me the story of a goose and a pig that he had when he was a boy. The goose and pig would follow him everywhere and each day when he caught the school bus, the goose and pig would walk with him and wait on the bus beside him. He would get on the bus and the goose and pig would turn and walk back down the driveway. Then when he came home from school, there at the end of the driveway were the goose and pig patiently waiting for him. He said he was always amazed how they seemed to know when the bus would return, and it made him feel loved and special knowing that they would be there without fail. In thinking about what the Advent season means, this story came to mind because it expresses Advent in a beautiful way. A period of waiting for OUR special person to come back, we return each year without fail to patiently wait at the manger. Our wait leaves us also feeling special because we know that while we anticipate the birth of Christ, we KNOW that Christ is always there for us because each and every one of us is that SPECIAL to the Baby King we await!
Just as that goose and pig accompanying a young boy to and from the school bus each day was an unexpected sight, the birth of Jesus was equally unexpected. The people waited for a King to save them, the promised Savior, but no one expected a brown skinned baby born in a stable. Mary and Joseph trekked to Bethlehem only to find that they were not welcome, and there was no place to lay their heads. No goose or pig there waiting to welcome them home. Unexpected and traumatic, to say the least. Advent always reminds me to look for the unexpected, for it is often in those moments that we find blessings and miracles in the chaos of life.
In my role as a chaplain, I get to hear other people’s stories, but in my role as a singer-songwriter, I get to TELL other people’s stories and make up a few of my own. One story that I have told through song is Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem but told from perhaps an unexpected point of view. The song is told from the donkey’s point of view. The refrain of the song says, “You don’t even know my name, but without me, the story would never be the same.” We ALL have an important role to play in this world, even if we often are not aware. We might be the person that brings someone light, simply by being ourselves. We might be a comfort to someone, simply by being present. We might be a goose or pig that unexpectedly brings someone hope and makes them feel loved, simply by showing up. We might be the donkey that carries someone to their destination, simply doing what we were created to do. Advent is the season for us to take a pause and look around for those unexpected blessings in our own lives and be thankful for them! When you find your unexpected blessings, acknowledge them! Because no one may ever know your name, but without you, the story would never be the same!
Never Be the Same
© dcsmusic
I’ve been walking through this desert
Not knowing where I’m bound
Following a man
From town to town
I got a lady on my back
She’s got a baby on her mind
We’ve got to find a place to rest
While there’s still time
Refrain
You don’t even know my name
But without me the story would never be the same
The lady shifts in her seat
And says we’ve gotta stop soon
The man shakes his head
And says honey there no rooms
The pains are coming fasterS
he says it won’t be long
And I curse this desert and the king
That made us flee our homes
Refrain
There’s a light up in the distance
We’re hopeful it’s an inn
I say a silent prayer
That this will be our journey’s end
The man runs ahead
But comes back with his head bowed
Then I realize
It’s all up to me now
Refrain
So I walk right past the man
And take the lady with me
When he catches up
He shakes his head in disbelief
As I walk into the stable
All safe & warm with hay
Just as the sun dips down
And night replaces day
Refrain
As the stars come out
There’s one that brightly shines
Right above this stable
A sign for all mankind
That here in this manger
On this night was born King
And I got watched it all
And hear the Angels sing
Refrain
Now as you wander through
This crazy life of yours
You may think you’re insignificant
But this one thing’s for sure
Life is just a story
Played out on God’s stage
And without you
It wouldn’t be the same.
Refrain
No one may ever know your name
But without you the story
Would never be the same
You don’t even know my name
But without me the story
Would never be the same
Without me the story would never be the same