By Ann Farabee

I categorize myself as a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas decorating, even though we put our tree up on Nov. 9. I do not consider myself a super helper in this area, either. However, I am a super supervisor.

My favorite part of the decorating is putting the ornaments on the tree, because that requires full family participation, as they listen to me share great memories about the story behind each ornament.

At the bottom of the box where our ornaments have been lovingly stored in the attic for the past year, there are always a few that are broken or separated from their other ornament friends. I have been known to toss some of them gently into the trash, if no one is looking.

This year, as I was preparing to do just that, I noticed Mary — the mother of Jesus. My mind began to think about what her world must have been like in some of those seconds, minutes, days, months and years that she lived on Earth.

The angel Gabriel had brought her the news! She was highly favored and would be the earthly mother of Jesus! As excited and honored as she must have felt, the book of Luke also tells us that she was troubled at what the angel said and questioned him, asking, “How can this be?”

Nine months later, riding on a donkey for four days while ‘great’ with child? That journey had to be very difficult.

No room at the inn? Oh, the pain of that rejection.

Bringing her baby into a dark, ugly world in a dark, ugly manger? It was basically a cave with a feeding trough! Definitely not what she had envisioned.

Twelve years later, heading home from the temple and realizing her son was missing? Unimaginable fear must have gripped her heart.

Twenty-one years after that, her pain was certainly unbearable as she watched Jesus suffer on the cross. She had witnessed his birth, and now has to witness his death. He came to this world as her son and left this world as her Savior. As Jesus looked ahead in time and died for us, He also looked down from the cross and died for her.

Peace for Mary surely at times seemed elusive. Just as it does at times for each of us. We all want peace. We all need it. If we don’t have it, we know it.

We may have received news that is troubling, where we ask, “How can this be?” We may be facing a long, difficult journey. We may feel rejection from others that seem to have no room for us in their lives. We may be in a dark and ugly place, far from what we had envisioned. We may have times of unimaginable fear or unbearable pain as we face circumstances that leave us hurting.

Though Mary’s life was not easy, she lived her life in peace. How do we know that? Because we know she accepted Jesus into heart and life. We also know that she had the Prince of Peace — Jesus — with her always.

I looked again at that manger scene and remembered these words I have heard many times:

No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.

I sure am thankful for that heavenly peace that passes all understanding and comes only by knowing and accepting the Prince of Peace.

No — the manger scene was not tossed — and I doubt that it would ever be!