Last night, Tim and I decided to watch the third episode of "The Bible,"

because I was out of town on Sunday evening when it first aired.

As I watched the story of Mary and Joseph unfold,

I was struck significantly by the moment when Mary leaned forward and kissed Jesus' tiny forehead just minutes after His birth and just moments after naming Him, "Jesus."

Kissing Jesus, the Son of God.

Could anyone ever feel closer to Heaven than Mary did in that moment?

I remember kissing Nick's head many times in those last few months of his life,

and I remember thinking I was kissing the head of a very precious boy.

I don't think I realized just how close I was to Heaven in those last few days of Nick's life,

but I knew in a very deep way that we were not alone in those dark hours.

God was with us.

One of my friends whose husband died of cancer just a few years before Nick,

shared several stories with me of times when her husband saw angels in the room signaling for him to wait and then finally seeing one that shook her head, "yes,"

as if saying, "It's now time for you to come Home."

I wonder if Mary saw angels on the night Jesus was born,

and I wonder if she saw them again when Jesus died.

I have to believe God walked closely with Mary all through her life as the mother of His Son.

And I have to believe He longs to walk closely with each of us who have chosen to call Him Father.

The reality of the Nativity scene is this:

God longed to be with us so much that He sent His only Son.

Emmanuel, "God with us."

When Mary kissed Jesus' forehead she kissed the Son of God.

That's enough to make me smile today,

Because when Jesus was born,

our lives were forever changed.

Suddenly, God was with us..............