here is a lot to do around the shop; it’s true. So, Alessandro begins to sweep up bits of clay, fabric scraps, and dried moss from the floor. He hears customers in the shop. They are shopping for figures from the Bible, and so much more. The people in Italy like to make their Nativity scenes— called presepi—busy and crowded with people and animals from everyday life in both Bible times and today, sometimes all mixed up together. It reminds them that Jesus is not just in the past, but lives with us now. Alessandro hears Papa and Nonna laughing with a man who is looking for little chickens and dogs that would chase each other around a farmyard in his presepe. And they would really move! How funny! Alessandro can’t laugh, though, because he’s still thinking about his questions. It’s been a month since his parents had to go to another country for their work, leaving him here with his grandparents. When will they return? When will he be back at his own home, in his old school and with his friends? Alessandro doesn’t notice the bright blue of the Blessed Virgin’s robes or the gold of the Baby’s halo. All he can see right now are the broken pieces on the floor. 8 T
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