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The Gift
A poor orphan girl named Maria was walking to market one day She stopped for to rest by the roadside where a bird with a broken wing lay A few moments passed ‘till she saw it, for its feathers were covered with sand But soon, clean and wrapped, it was traveling in the warmth of Maria’s small hand
She happily spent her last peso on a cage made of rushes and twine She fed it loose corn from the market and watched it grow stronger with time
Now the Christmas Eve service was coming, and the church shone with tinsel and light And all of the townfolk brought presents to lay by the manger that night There were diamonds and incense and perfumes in packages fit for a king But for one ragged bird in a small cage, Maria had nothing to bring
She
waited till just before And crying, she knelt by the manger, for her gift was unworthy of Him
Then a voice spoke to her through the darkness: “Maria, what brings you to me?” “If the bird in the cage is your offering, open the door—let me see!” Though she trembled, she did as He asked her, and out of the cage the bird flew Soaring up into the rafters on a wing that had healed good as new
Just
then the A song that no words could recapture, whose beauty was fit for a king
Now Maria felt blessed just to listen to that cascade of notes sweet and long As her offering was lifted to heaven by the very first nightingale song
Stephanie Davis Recluse Music (BMI)
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