It was Uncle Henry’s birthday the following day. He was the eldest in the family, and very, very, wise. Everyone respected Uncle Henry, and friends and relatives were coming from miles around to say “Happy Birthday” and bring him their presents. It was going to be such a happy occasion with lots of special things to eat, and then in the moonlight, when all the stars were twinkling, and all the world around them was still and quiet, their story-time would begin. And what stories the older ones could tell - especially, of course, Uncle Henry.
Keren and Joel had talked about the party for days, and now, high up in the largest tree in the garden, they heard Mum call ‘It’s time to get up sleepy-heads.’
‘We are wide awake already’ Joel answered. ‘We’ve just been talking about the party.’
‘Again?’ laughed Mum.
‘What are you looking forward to most?’ asked Dad. ‘Giving Uncle his presents, or the party food?’
The little owls giggled as they preened their tawny feathers.
‘Both!’ stated Keren.
‘Well said’ chuckled her father, and they all laughed.
‘It’s the party tomorrow, isn’t it?’ asked Joel. He knew the answer but somehow it seemed to make it come nearer when he heard Mum say ‘Yes, it’s tomorrow, and I’ll be glad when it’s here. The party is all the pair of you have talked about for weeks.’
‘We’ll see all our cousins, wont we?’ Keren asked.
‘I hope so’ Mum answered. ‘I know they all intend coming.’
Keren and Joel wriggled with excitement - only one more day!
Out of the nest Joel leaped calling ‘One more day. One more day’ as he zoomed off into the nearby wood.
‘One more day. One more day’ echoed Keren as she flew after him.
And ‘One more day’ sighed Mum thankfully. ‘I don’t think I can stand this excitement much longer!’ then she and Dad smiled as they listened to the faint voices of the children still calling as they flew into the deepness of the wood.
It was some hours later when the children returned, full of stories of the friends they had met, and the things they had talked about. Mum and Dad had news too. They had met some of the children’s cousins and Aunts and Uncles.
‘Where are they?’ asked Keren.
‘Are they here?’ - Joel almost slipped as he hopped from one foot to the other.
‘No, they have all flown to Uncle Henry’s but you’ll see them tomorrow’ said Mum as she tucked them into bed after hearing all their news. ‘Go to sleep now, then tomorrow will come all the quicker.’
Keren and Joel looked at each other. Tomorrow! How could they ever sleep when such excitement awaited them - Tomorrow!
But as Mum and Dad talked quietly of the events of the day two pairs of droopy eyelids began to close over two pairs of sleepy eyes, and within no time at all, they were fast asleep.
The sun was just beginning to say “Good-night” to the garden, and the moon was just about to say “Hello!” when the children awoke.
‘It’s today - the party is Today’ was their first thought, and they turned their heads to see if Mum and Dad were awake yet. They weren’t.
‘Mum, Dad, wake up’ they cried as they bounced around the nest. Dad yawned - ‘It’s far too early’ he grumbled. ‘Look! the moon isn’t here yet.’
‘It is. It is. Over there’ Joel pointed to where the moon was just beginning to appear.
Mum opened a still-weary eye. ‘Where?’ she asked sleepily.
‘Come over here, and you will see’ insisted Joel.
Reluctantly Mum stood up, shook her feathers, and moved to where the children were pointing.
They all watched as the sun finally said “Good-night” and disappeared from view, whilst the stars and moon took over the sky and bathed the garden in the gentle light they loved.
‘Time to go, I suppose’ observed Dad as he stretched his wings. ‘Have you got Uncle’s presents?’
No! Quickly the children scrabbled around to find where they had hidden them.
‘Here’s mine’ called Keren.
‘And mine’ said Joel. ‘We are ready now.’
Two sparkling pairs of eyes looked at Mum and Dad.
‘I think we had better go, don’t you?’ chuckled Mum.
‘Yes, I think it’s time we left’ Dad agreed.
And off they flew.
The tree in which Uncle lived was in a large garden in the woods. It belonged to a woodsman who lived there and looked after the trees for the rich owner, and it was very beautiful so it was always a great pleasure to visit Uncle and fly around his lovely garden. It had a waterfall and a pond; a tiny stream; stone statues; and many hideaway places which the children loved.
Mum, Dad, Keren and Joel, flying swiftly towards the woodland garden, heard the happy sounds of the party long before they reached there. The noise of all their friends and relations laughing and chatting with each other could be heard for miles!
‘Here we are’ they called as they joined the merry crowd.
‘And here are your presents, Uncle Henry’ the children said as they gave him their gifts.
‘For me? How kind of you’ said Uncle as he accepted the brightly-wrapped parcels. ‘Now why don’t you join your cousins and share the birthday feast. I’m sure that’s what you are longing to do’ and his eyes twinkled at them - he remembered what it was like to be young and full of fun and energy.
The children didn’t need to be told twice, so whilst Mum and Dad asked Uncle how he was keeping, and caught up on the family news, the children joined their cousins at the birthday table.
After they had eaten until they could eat no more the young ones then played games of chase, hide-and-seek, and had races to see who could fly the fastest.
They were hot and panting when they finally re-joined Mum, Dad, Uncle Henry and the others, and flopped down on to a tree’s lower branches which had joined to form a comfortable sitting area.
‘I think it looks as if “story-time” has arrived observed Uncle Henry as he peered down at all the children.
‘Yes, please’ they chirped eagerly.
‘Mm!’ Uncle nodded thoughtfully, then asked - ‘A story about little girls?’
‘No!’ shouted the boys.
‘A story about little boys?’ teased Uncle.
‘No!’ shouted the girls.
‘A story about some fishes?’ he then asked.
‘Fishes?’ they looked doubtfully at each other, then back at Uncle who was chuckling as he watched them.
‘Then the only other story I can think of at the moment is a Miracle!’
‘A Miracle!!’ ‘Yes’ they all shouted as they pushed and wriggled and fidgetted around in an effort to get comfortable.
‘Well, when everyone is settled I’ll begin.’ Uncle Henry waited until all the ‘Ssh!’ ‘Move over’ and ‘You’re on my tail’ had quietened down.
He looked around - ‘The Story of The Miracle’ he began. ‘As you know, I enjoy visiting my old friends in Lydda. I often go there. And it was in this town that my story begins.
‘Have you heard who is staying in our town?’ my friend had asked me. I could see that he was very proud of their visitor and was longing to tell me, so I said ‘No, I have no idea, is it a foreign prince?’
'Joab, my friend, shook his head solemnly. ‘It’s someone much more important - he can perform miracles!’ and he looked at me to see if I was impressed. I was!’
‘Miracles?’ I asked him. ‘Are you sure? Have you seen one?’
‘Well no, not exactly - but I’ve heard of one’ he said.
‘I didn’t want to argue with him’ said Uncle Henry. ‘It doesn’t do any good to argue with a good friend, and perhaps lose his friendship - does it?’ and he looked severely at the little owls who immediately shook their heads. ‘No, Uncle Henry.’
It didn’t do any good to try to argue with Uncle Henry either!
‘No’ continued their Uncle. ‘So I just said I was very pleased to hear that his town had such an important visitor as I always knew Lydda was a very special town.’
‘This pleased Joab, of course, so he asked ‘Would you like to see our visitor?’
‘I said “Yes” and he took me to the house where the important one was staying. There seemed to be a meeting going on so we flew to a tree where the branches were almost touching the window.’
Joel giggled.
Uncle looked at him with his large, clear eyes - there was silence! No-one interrupted Uncle Henry!
‘Yes, young man?’ he enquired.
‘Sorry, Uncle, I was just thinking, wasn’t it wonderful that the branches were so near the window. I mean ...... ‘ he stopped.
‘Quite right, Joel. They couldn’t have been better placed’ Uncle agreed. He wasn’t annoyed at the interruption, and Joel breathed a sigh of relief.
In the Owl family one didn’t interrupt the Wise Ones!
‘We were able to hear what they were saying’ went on Uncle placidly. ‘And they were talking about Jesus.’ Again he paused.
‘Aah! Jesus’ - they all smiled and nodded to each other. ‘What a lovely story this is going to be’ they were thinking.
Uncle Henry was well-pleased at their reaction. He smiled too.
‘Then I recognised the man who was speaking’ he said. ‘It was Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples.’
The family also knew Peter, so, once again, there was delight on everyone’s face.
‘As we were watching, two men came into the room, and they looked very upset. Peter immediately asked them if he could help.'
‘We have come from Joppa’ one man said ‘To ask if you would please return with us as Tabitha, our dear friend, has died.’
‘She is well-known for her kindness, especially to the poor’ his friend added.
‘Peter listened 'continued Uncle'. Then he nodded, and said ‘Please excuse me’ to his friends ‘I must go to Joppa.’
‘Of course’ the others agreed.
‘And now we are coming to the Miracle’ said Uncle smiling round at them all.
‘I then invited Joab to come home with me and follow Peter and the two men to Tabitha’s house. Joab was delighted to join me so we flew above the men all the way until they went into her house. There was no tree nearby this time!’ - Uncle paused teasingly and looked at Joel, a smile spreading across his face. The children chuckled. ‘So we looked first into one window, and then into another until we saw a group of women talking to Peter in an upstairs room.’
‘It must be this room’ my friend whispered.
‘I agreed, so we perched on the window ledge.’
‘Look! Tabitha made this coat for me. I’m a widow, and I couldn’t afford to buy one.’
‘And Dorcas made my dress, she knew I was poor’ said another to Peter as they showed him all the clothes Tabitha had made for them.’
Uncle Henry heard the tiny whispers, and saw the puzzled look on the children’s faces.
‘You are wondering why some of the women were calling Tabitha “Dorcas” aren't you?’ he asked.
The children nodded. ‘Yes, Uncle.’
‘It’s because some of them were from Greece, and in the Greek language a “Deer” - Tabitha - is “Dorcas.”
Their little beaks fell open in amazement at Uncle Henry’s wisdom. He really seemed to know everything!
Uncle Henry tried not to look as proud as he felt when he saw the admiration in their eyes, so he quickly took up his story again.
‘Peter asked the weeping women to leave the room, then knelt by Tabitha and prayed to our Heavenly Father. Looking kindly down at her we then heard him say “Tabitha! Get up.”
‘Straight away she opened her eyes, looked at Peter, and sat up!’
There it was - the Miracle!
Tabitha brought back to life.
What a twittering and chattering then broke out from his excited listeners. Uncle had actually seen someone come back to life! It was thrilling. What a birthday party this was turning out to be.
‘What happened next, Uncle Henry’ asked Keren, her eyes all bright and shining.
‘Peter helped Tabitha to her feet, and led her to the door. ‘Here is your friend’ he called, then watched as the women praised God and hugged their friend and said how happy they were to see her again.’
A cheer went up from the children.
‘What a brilliant story, Uncle.’
‘It’s your very best ever, Uncle Henry.’
And ‘Have you any more?’ asked Joel.
How they all laughed, and Uncle Henry’s deep chuckle seemed to echo throughout the woods.
When the laughter died down, and Uncle Henry’s deep rumbling chuckle could be heard no more, Uncle Hezekiah, one of Uncle Henry’s brothers, asked ‘Was your friend, Joab, not able to join us tonight?’
‘No, he hurt his wing last week so is not able to fly very far at the moment. But I shall visit him very soon and tell him about my lovely party.’
‘Did Joab ever tell you the story he heard of the Miracle in Lydda?’ asked one of the Aunts.
‘No’ answered Uncle regretfully. ‘He didn’t have time, but I’m sure he will tell me the next time I see him.’
For a moment there was silence, then they heard a loud cough - well it was more of a bark, really, and the startled owls peered down through the branches to see who had made the noise.
‘I’m here’ a voice said. ‘Beside the pond.’
They looked and saw the woodsman’s dog, Raffles, and his friend Rufus gazing up at them.
‘Hello!’ said Uncle Henry. ‘How long have you been there?’
‘We came just in time to hear your story, and we thought it was brilliant’ said Raffles, and Rufus says he can tell you the story of the Miracle at Lydda.’
‘You can?’ Again a noisy chattering broke out until Uncle Henry asked. ‘Were you there, Rufus?’
‘Yes’ he answered. ‘I live in Lydda, as you know, in fact I live right next door to Aeneas.’
‘Aeneas? Who is Aeneas?’ asked one of the children.
‘Aah!’ replied Rufus. ‘Shall I begin at the beginning?’
‘Please do’ said Uncle Henry.
So as they all settled down again, the second story of the party evening began.
Elizabeth Aynsley ©

Acts 9. vs. 36 - 43.