Every one of us that’s walked through the pain of a story you wouldn’t have chosen knows how much it means when people stay.

When they willingly step into your mess and stand by your side. When they remember the dates and say their names and sit in silence while you cry and lead the way through the dark. When they sacrifice their own desires for your survival and needs.

And as I've read the Christmas story this year through the lens of my own weakness and longing and loss, here's what I'm struck by: Joseph stayed.

God will us would have been enough. But Joseph was with her too.