It is Christmas Eve and the five of us attended Christmas Midnight Mass at the Langley Air Force Base Chapel in Hampton Virginia.

During the homily, the priest asked that all children under the age of 5 join him in the area around the altar where the Christmas Creche was placed.  Our youngest, who was three at the time, joined in the cute parade to the altar.

As the children arrived and situated themselves on the altar steps, the priest began to tell the story of the birth of Jesus in the stable.  He described how Mary and Joseph came to Nazareth with a donkey He explained that when they arrived in Nazareth, there was no room available for them in the Inn and that they would need to find shelter in a nearby barn.  He talked about the warmth in the barn from the breath of the animals and then asked, “And what did Mary have in that barn?”

One little red headed girl [think of the red headed girl in the Peanuts cartoon] waved her arms and shouted enthusiastically, “I know!  I know!”

The priest called upon the little red headed girl who stood up and placed herself in ballet position #5 and began to speak as loudly as possible: “Mary had a little lamb and its fleece was as white as snow…”