Yodeling with the Christmas Shepherds

I stand among the freshly-shining stars and the nip of a faint breeze as it glides over the snow.  It's just a few steps from the backdoor to the kitchen window where the two plastic birdfeeders hang.

Birdfeeders that must by brought inside every night to stop the pillaging of midnight deer.  Deer that tap the feeders against the window like Poe's raven against the window lattice.  That kinda stuff is creepy at two in the morning.

And since my trip is only a few steps long, I'm in t-shirt and shorts with bare feet jammed into old slippers.  I am reminded of this by the aforementioned breeze.

Back inside, I set the birdfeeders on top of the dryer, kick off the snow-covered slippers, and navigate toward The Chair by the woodburner.  On the way through the kitchen, I'm joined by a hot cup of the Elixir of Knowledge.

I sit, sip, and thaw, watching the fire dance and tumble behind glass doors.  But it’s like the night sky calls me.  I walk over to the window to stand, sip, and stare at the stars as they dance and sparkle between Dan and Loni's garage and Brad and Micki's Christmas decorations.

Huh.   My head swivels between The Chair and the fire then back to the night sky and the stars.  The Elixir of Knowledge brings to mind shepherds huddled around a small ring of stones and an even smaller fire that dances with the wind, all under a star-encrusted sky.

Those guys were the first to know that something incredible had happened.  Well, other than Mary and Joseph.   And the donkey.

Shepherds are like the Middle Eastern version of cowboys.  A "wide open sky"-type of folk.  Kinda wild and unruly.   I can't see a trio of shepherds winning a bar fight in a saloon but I bet they could hold their own if a bar mitzvah got outta hand.

And can't you just hear 'em out on that hillside:

"Whoopy-ti-yi-oh-VEY, herd it up, little woolies..."

People of the Open Sky.  Not overly concerned with social standing, big bucks, or protocol.  Just wanting, or perhaps needing, wide open spaces and skies.

And that's why they saw the Angel Choir and were the first to know of The King's Arrival.   Their venue of choice allowed room for a multitude of the Heavenly Host.

There were a lotta homes and buildings down in the town of Bethlehem.  Proper buildings.  Sturdy houses.  Nice little rooms.  Comfortable furnishings.  Safe.  Secure.

But places lacking enough room for an angelic duet, let alone a choir.

No room for a mighty work of God.

I take a long pull of the Elixir which promptly floats up a question that stops in front of my mind's eye.

"Am I gonna stay safe in my little, controlled room of a world or walk out under the wild and  open sky to see what incredible thing God can do?"

I look around.  There's no one else to answer the question.

Huh.  I turn back to the window.  If I make that decision, some things have gotta change.  I'll need to change my lifestyle.  I'll need to prepare and plan to live an outdoor life...and then move out where God is.

And I s'pose I'll need to learn how to yodel like Roy and Dale, Gene Autry, and the rest of the Cowboy Elite...but in a kosher kind of way.

"Whoopy-ti-yi-oh-VEY..."