Children laughing. Animals clucking. Those were the first sounds I ever heard. Ehud finished making me hours earlier. People filled the room. A warm place sat far away from me full of fire, and two chickens wandered around. No other animals. What was I supposed to be here for? I was empty for now. Maybe Ehud would fill me up soon.

Days passed and nothing. No hay, no animal, nothing but a young child bumping into me hours on end, nearly knocking me over at times. Surely there was more to my existence than this. Wasn’t a manger supposed to have animals eat out of it? In my case, apparently not.

I watched the family live. The mother made meals and kept the children in line. The father was only inside for the morning and evening meals. The children ran in and out all day. One of the boys left shortly after Ehud and came back in the early afternoon talking about everything he learned at Hebrew school.

The girls tried to help their mother. I didn’t want to observe a family. I wanted to be useful.

Finally, something new happened. Something amazing. Family after family arrived. So many people! And a few animals. Still none who stayed in the lower level of the house with me, but I heard them outside. With all the people around, I wasn’t as lonely. Children put their toys in me and on me. But I was also worried. Would I be forgotten completely with all the people around?