- Playing
- Seeing Mary, remembering radiance
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- Nanci Olesen
Commentator Nanci Olesen sees depictions of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the dentist office, in store windows, and in Christmas cards. Mary always looks so serene, and a little possessed. Nanci remembers those feelings from the hours after giving birth.
This is a sweet commentary to air in the days right before Christmas, or on Christmas.
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Piece Description
Commentator Nanci Olesen sees depictions of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the dentist office, in store windows, and in Christmas cards. Mary always looks so serene, and a little possessed. Nanci remembers those feelings from the hours after giving birth. This is a sweet commentary to air in the days right before Christmas, or on Christmas.
Broadcast History
aired on Minnesota Public Radio, December 2004
Transcript
MARY
Every woman who has ever given birth loves to tell her birth story. She loves to tell it in excruciating detail. She'll tell it to anyone who will listen.
One ravenous night some 2000 years ago, a woman named Mary brought a baby
named Jesus into the world and laid him in swaddling clothes in the manger.
It's the ultimate birth story, I guess.
Now that I have birthed a few myself, I can't help but think of the whole
story in a completely different light. Now that I know the howl of the
moment of birth, the awesome pain and the unrecognizable joy, the
unbelievable relief of having completed a task which took my body completely
over and brought me to the end of the earth and back, I look at those
nativity scenes quite differently.
She always looks serene, Mary. She sometimes looks a bit possessed. I think
I understand.
I look at Mary's face wherever I se...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
2:33
Suggested intro:
Mary, the mother of Jesus is depicted everywhere at this time of year. Commentator Nanci Olesen remembers why Mary looks so serene, and a bit possessed.
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