Three Days: A Mother's Story Read Online Free Page A

other children accused their father of favoritism. But then I suppose all children fret about this sort of nonsense.
    But I know that if Joseph had been alive to see what happened in Jerusalem today, he would have thrown himself at the Roman guards who were mercilessly beating Jesus. He would have attempted to stop them, and I am sure he would have even tried to take Jesus’s torture upon himself. That is how much he loved our son. And it would have killed him. I wonder if my Joseph watched these atrocities from paradise today. And, if he could see, I wonder if he, like me, still weeps.

5
    THEY SAY THAT TEARS last for the night but joy comes in the morning. I fear that is not true today. For even as the sky changes from slate to pale gray, I feel no joy. Only a vast, sad emptiness that fills every corner of my soul. No one is stirring as I slip out to the terrace to view the breaking of the dawn. I am slightly surprised that the sun has even risen today. I am disturbed that it has the nerve to show its face around here after the Son of God was put to death only yesterday. There is some satisfaction in seeing a thick layer of clouds obscuring much of the light. Perhaps those clouds might even bring rain. I do not think I can abide a cheerful blue sky today.
    I sit down on a bench and force my mind to remember another day that I can dwell in for a while. I recall another time when I rose early like this to greet the dawn. Indeed, that was a happy day. It brimmed with hope and expectation, and I could not wait for it to begin. Now, you might think my wedding day was a somber and anticlimactic affair, especially after all that Joseph and I had been through. But that is not how I saw it. Not at all! I welcomed that day with an open heart—I could not wait for the festivities to begin.
    I am certain my parents were greatly relieved that Joseph and I were going ahead with our wedding. And when Joseph asked to push the day forward, he received no resistance from my parents. In some ways it was as if the entire town was relieved. My sister Sarah said there had been rumors circulating at the well, but, being a loyal sister, she did all she could to stifle them. And, apparently, her efforts paid off, for everyone seemed thoroughly glad that Joseph and I were celebrating our nuptials.
    It was not a large wedding, but it was a joyous one. I wore my finest clothes and even the gold bracelets and earrings Elizabeth had given me for this special day. We had plenty of good food and music and wine, and our guests remained happy and stayed long into the night. Indeed, our wedding was remembered as one of Nazareth’s happiest affairs. It was even on this occasion when Sarah’s future husband first noticed her. He was a merchant from Cana, and Sarah still claims it was because he was so impressed with my wedding that he pursued her. But at the time I reminded her that she was becoming a beautiful young woman.
    She laughed. “If only I could grow to be half as beautiful as you.”
    “Silly girl,” I told her. “You are already twice as lovely.”
    But I suppose I actually did feel beautiful on my wedding day. I had no illusions about my physical appearance, for I have never considered myself a beauty. But I did feel truly beautiful on the inside. I am sure that, more than anything else, this had to do with the secret blessing that slept within my womb. But I was surprised when numerous friends and relatives proclaimed my beauty with happy toasts. Of course, some of them were feeling the afterglow of the music and wine, but I received their compliments with grace, smiling quietly to myself.
    Yet it was the expression on Joseph’s face that I will always remember about that day. It was a certain moment as we stood beneath the canopy and said our vows. It was an unforgettable look of true love and adoration. I have no doubt that I was truly beautiful in my husband’s eyes that day and always. However, I must admit to feeling a bit guilty,