Working, Waiting, Watching

Working, Waiting, Watching
Working and waiting, waiting and watching,
Time is a package to be opened with care,
To not be used up too quickly or let in thin air.
Working and waiting, waiting and watching,
Time goes so quickly with each passing breath,
One less beat of the heart, one less beat.
Working and waiting, waiting and watching;
How were those days Mary and Joseph labored
To travel from here to there over difficult terrain.
Working and waiting, waiting and watching;
Joseph may have watched Mary more than the trail,
May have wished to take the labor's pain.
Working and waiting, waiting and watching;
Mary, on foot or donkey, watched and waited,
Joseph, no doubt on foot, worked and watched, watched and waited.
Working and waiting, waiting and watching;
Over the terrain in some amount of pain walking,
Stumbling perhaps but moving.
Working and waiting, waiting and watching;
Would they get to Bethlehem before the birth?
Would there be room, even on packed earth?
Working and waiting, waiting and watching,
The angels keep the shepherds in sight,
Poised to messenger on the coming night.
Working and waiting, waiting and watching,
The shepherds were so diligent to work, to wait, to watch,
Little imagining they'd see the Lamb of Israel.
Working and waiting, waiting and watching,
Between that First Advent and the Second,
We wait while we work and we too watch.