I have been pondering the wonderment of God becoming man...a baby, like C....like we all were once. I hope this time preceding Christmas is as full of amazement for you as it is for me. Mostly, as I struggle with the ongoing stresses of every day life with little children who take a lot of physical care and cause Mommy to get less sleep, I pray for hands that are as caring and gentle as the Theotokos's hands in this icon. If only we could completely tame our hands and our tongues. Luke 2:51b "and his mother kept all these things in her heart."