"Daddy, why do we get presents on Christmas?" Ayrha asked.
"Because millions of Christians around the world believe that God's Son became man almost two-thousand years ago," her Dad replied.
"Did they go to the hospital?" she asked.
"No, cutie-pie, they didn't have hospitals or drugs or even cars in those days. God was born naturally, like you were."
"When Mommy is going to have her baby, I hope it's a girl; we need more girls, don't we Daddy? If it's a girl she can sleep in my room, please Daddy?"
It was afternoon when the priest came dressed in a flannel shirt and blue jeans. I was under the sink replacing the garbage disposal when the kids let him in. The fire in the wood stove was blazing and the kettle upon it steamed. The priest came into the kitchen and sat down. He sat there large, round-faced, and amused.
"Working on a Sunday?" he asked. He put a package down on the table.
"I'm almost done, Father. I just have to connect this drain."
"I can only stay for a minute," he said. "Mrs. Leathers is expecting a visit before dark."
"Well then, this can wait." I backed out of the sink cabinet and set the tools aside. He seemed satisfied that he stopped my work, but his usual look of suffering remained within his eyes. Perhaps it came from a deep feeling of failure that came from his inability to control his diet, though his diabetes and his herniated disc demanded he do so.
"I brought some things for the new baby," he said. He reached into the sack. "This is a rosary from the Vatican. This is a bottle of holy water. The rosary was handmade by Franciscan monks in Italy. Do you like them?"
I washed my hands in the sink and went to the table and held the rosary. "This was very nice of you Father. You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."
"It was no trouble at all. I just hope that all goes well for the birth of your next child -- a son this time do you think?"
"I'm not particular. A nice, healthy baby is all I ask for."
"I have never seen a birth," he said, "It must be a very special time of life."
"Considering that the Christian faith began with a childbirth, it seems that every priest should get the opportunity to witness one. Would you like to attend the birth?"
"Oh my. Well, I never thought of it before. And you will do it at home -- it is so kind of you to ask. I don't have much of stomach for blood and -- well -- medical things like that. I would be more of a bother."
The kids raced through the kitchen, in a fight about who would wake up first tomorrow. One of the little ones hid under Father's legs.
"It looks like you're giving sanctuary Father."
"Yes," he said, lifting the child up in his lap, "I had better be going. Mrs. Leathers awaits."
"Thanks for the rosary and the holy water. We'll see you again soon."
I picked up a newsletter from the Chiropractic Association -- bold- print headlines about some sort of legislative crisis. The sun shone brightly on the table and made the news difficult to read. I set the paper aside and decided to finish the plumbing.
I got into town just after noon and parked in front of the Chinese restaurant. I went inside and I saw Christmas decorations surrounding the intricate silk artwork of Chinese temples. There weren't very many people in the place and I easily found the chiropractors I was to meet for lunch. The topics for this meeting were advertising, and the impact of recent legislation. The chiropractors each dressed differently -- some with suits, some without. After lunch I drove back to the clinic. My nurse had everything in order. "Who are the first patients this afternoon?"
"Alduth and Guild are at 2:00 p.m.," she said. "Don't forget that your mother's airplane arrives in Boise at 8:00 p.m. You'll have to stay on time to make it."
"Isn't that what you'd expect. As soon as you have a deadline, everyone wants to make an appointment."
"Has your mother been to your other children's births?" she asked.
"Nope. She usually makes her plans for right afterwards. This time the baby's due date was wrong so her flight was scheduled before the baby arrives."
"That will be so wonderful," she said, "To have your own mother help with the delivery. Make sure you call me when Anita goes into labor."
"We'll see how enthused you are when I call you at 3:00 a.m.
"You make sure you call."
I make the airport with Anita, the kids, and a complete "on-the-road" birthing kit just about five minutes before the airplane arrives. The Boise airport is small, so there is no problem getting a spot to park and getting to one of the ten boarding gates. The kids love to run in the wide-open, carpeted hallways and I let them for just a few yards at a time. As they run past the boarding gate the oldest child, Ayrha, sees her grandma coming in.
"It's grandma!" she shouts. And all of the kids run to meet her, politely stopping just in front of her, waiting their turns for hugs in the order they arrived.
"It's so good to see you!" I hear her say to the kids. "You've all grown up so much!" Then it was my turn.
I hugged her last and we began walking to get her baggage. She was dressed in a colorful silk blouse with a wool skirt. She carried a jacket folded over her arm.
"Was the flight okay?"
"Yeah." She put her arm around my wife. "How are you doing Anita?"
"I've had a few contractions," she said.
"I think we better get going back home," I said. "It's a two-hour drive you know."
"There is time," Anita said playfully.
By the time we arrived at home, the birth was in progress. We prepared the birthing kit: sterile gloves, olive oil, suction trap, forceps, cord tape, and the like. Each child had a job: singers, hand holders, towel getters, drink servers. My mother acted as assistant. I called my nurse. By dawn the baby was born and placed on his mother's tummy for examination.
"Hand me the suction trap Mom." As I looked at the newborn baby for problems, I repeated my request. Then I looked at my Mom and saw that she was completely wrapped up by the birth, and was not hearing a word. There was a time when I was the baby in her arms. I finished my work.
"This is how God meant it to be," Mom said.
The baby nursed, cuddled into Anita's arms. I was outside planting the placenta at the base of the lone pine tree in the back yard. It would be a Christmas tree in a few years. I thought of those who had trained me to practice wide-scope chiropractic. And, I knew that there were perhaps one or two chiropractors still practicing obstetrics. I hung up the shovel.
The next day we went to the church. There was the large nativity scene they put up every year. Underneath the star and the pine branches lay the baby Jesus in a straw manger. He was born into this world naturally, without drugs or surgery -- next to innate.