Mary had a little lamb.

Her first born son

whose heart was pure as snow.

And everywhere the lamb would go,

Mary would follow.

closely,

wringing her hands with worry.

(That sudden trip to Egypt lingering in her memory.)

And once upon a time,

she and her old husband,

Joe the Carpenter,

(Notice! Not a scholar of the Word!)

lost her little lamb!

He was almost thirteen,

just in time for his Bar Midspha.

So the whole family

traveled to Jerusalem, to celebrate.

Well, they searched and searched,

Mary was frantic!

But they finally found him in The Temple

where he was astounding the rabbis

with his knowledge of Torah,

taught to him,

incidentally,

NOT by his father,

(who had a les’a’faire attitude about education,

being a carpenter )

but by Mary,

(who harbored a few pretentions of her own…),

but, never-the-less, a doting mother

and an understanding wife

who knew Joseph was doing his best,

after all,

he was only human…

And he did make two more sons with Mary

so he must have done something at night,

at least twice,

right?

But when he scolded Marys little lamb

for going astray in the big city

without telling his much distraught ,

but now much relieved mother,

her son replied,

( all right, maybe a little on the snide side,)

“I was about my Fathers business.”

Oye!

Such a real zinger at Joseph!

Mary elbowing her way to get between

her angry, hurt, husband

and her son

(who was beginning to father a few

pretentious ideas of his own,

he was his Mothers son, after all…)

Meanwhile,

James and John,

his younger brothers,

leaned on the cornerstone wall

outside the Most Holy Place,

rolling their eyes at their frequent,

familiar embarrassment …

Just a typical Jewish family on vacation…

Sometimes,

you wouldn’t believe the things that go on….