Mary, The Mother

". . . the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife:  for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."  Matthew 1:20

What a shocker that must have been to Mary and Joseph!  She is with child, without sex.  He is becoming a father, and he didn't have anything to do with it.  And we struggle with faith.  I suppose, though, ours might be stronger if visible angels brought our messages to us.

Then, Jesus isn't exactly a piece of cake to rear.  He disappears for hours on end talking with rabbis.  Have you ever had a child disappear for a couple of minutes in a clothing store?  Remember the panic? 

He can perform miracles, from making wine to shriveling trees.  The former saved the day at the wedding, but wasn't the latter a little scary? 

He calls to neighbor's children to abandon their families and come follow him.  And they do it.  They travel from here to yon with no apparent homes, few clothes and food provided by others or by miracles. 

Jesus is witnessed walking on water, an act which must have raced through the grapevine faster than news on Facebook or Twitter.  People called him crazy and he irritated religious leaders, royalty and politicians alike.

Yet, Mary was there to the end, witnessed near the cross where he died.  Mary, The Mother, loving him to the end.  She surely must have had more patience than you or I.