The other night, we were driving out to eat at Lucky 13, passing TableRock along the way. Luke looked up and saw the lighted cross and asked, “Mommy, what is that?” I thought about it and said, “Well, Luke, a cross is a religious symbol that depicts the life of Jesus, as he died on the cross  many years ago.” I wasn’t sure if I’d answered the question satisfactorily but felt pretty good about my choice of words. Then Luke piped up and said, “Mommy, why does she live on a mountain?” I’m not sure why Luke thinks Jesus is a she, but I’d like to think it’s the profound role his mother plays in his life (of course, I also live in la la land). In between my chuckles, I anwered, “Well, Jesus lives everywhere honey.” (Yes, I guess this is my feeble attempt to remind my family that a Jesus really does exist in our lives.)

After dinner, we were waiting in line to enter the Botanical Gardens, so that Luke could visit Santa Claus for the first time. Ironically, the Botanical Gardens sits beneath TableRock. Out of the blue, Luke screams out (in a very loud voice that entertained everyone standing in line), “Look, there’s Jesus again!”

Doesn’t this story exemplify the innocence and knowledge exploration of children? In the hurry and haste of the holiday, it’s so easy to forget the real reason we’re celebrating Christmas. If we could only remember, “there’s Jesus again!” we might take a step back and appreciate our health, happiness and family more than we do.