ON THE WAY TO CHRISTMAS

Whatever  you  choose  to  believe  concerning  
the  story  of  Mary  and  Joseph,
travelling  ninety  miles  in  the  ancient  world,
 from  Nazareth ,  along  the  Jordan  River,  
up  and  down  through  the  Judean  Dessert  and  thick  Forest, 
 to  the  tiny  town  of  a  hundred  residents  of  Bethlehem, 
 for  the  Census,  during  the  winter  months,
had  to  be  a  very  long  and  difficult  journey.

The  average  person  can  walk  about  20  miles per  day.

It  is  said  Mary  was  somewhere  between  the  age  of  12  to  14,  
certainly   close  to  nine  months  into  her  first  pregnancy
and  Joseph  was  said  to  be  a  great  deal  older.

Travelers  would  have  had  to  
carry  water  in  skin  pouches
and  food . . . most  likely  bread, 
maybe  some  oil  and  herbs.

It  would've  been  wise  to  tote something  for  shelter
in  case  of  bad  weather.

Winters  in  that  area  
experience  30 degree  temps
and  loads  of  rain.

The  path  taken  was  unpaved
and  there  were  Lion,  Bear,  
Wild  Boar,  Thieves  and  Crazies
  they  had  to  be  prepared  for.

The   journey  surely  took
people  like  Mary  and  Joseph
a  week  to ten  days  to  complete.

Ancient  Bethlehem  was  known  
to only  have  one  primitive  Inn.
   It's  widely  agreed  that  the  only  shelter  Jesus  could've  been
born  in  was  a  nearby  cave  
used  to  house  animals.

---

A  JOYOUS  CHRISTMAS  TO  ALL  !

I  am  responsible  for  the  digital  framing  of  these  images, 
 and   regret  not  being  able  to  give  credit  to  the  Artists  who  painted  them  
despite  lengthy  online  searches.  I  thought  they  were  beautiful.
If  this  is  your  work,  please  contact  me.

THANK  YOU  WHOEVER  YOU  ARE  !