I am a product of my culture. I love being clean. A daily shower is a part of my morning routine most days. The heat, the scent of my favorite cleansers, and a soft jumbo towel to finish it off.
The Love-of-My-Life has become an excellent towel shopper. He tries to find the best towels while keeping them budget friendly. Everyone got a new towel at Christmas this year. My Grandma Opal Maxine would love the practicality of the gift. Our kids appreciate that the towels are quite luxurious.
Towels as we know them evolved over time. Ancient Greeks and Romans had something similar, but it was in the Third Century, B.C. that the Egyptians invented the "farachi." It was an absorbent and soft cotton towel. It became popular across the civilized world and into the hands of the ancient Greeks and Romans. You can read a little towel history HERE.
Could an old farachi have been used at the inn and some made their way to the stable the night Jesus was born? These are things we can only wonder and never know for sure. We know babies love to be swaddled. It feels cozy when they are missing the womb. Luke only tells us this:
"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." -Luke 2:7
Luke, a physician by trade, would have been interested somewhat in the conditions surrounding the birth of the child. They did not have a full understanding of the benefits of a clean environment for the birth. If the innkeeper had a wife or teen daughters, babies are a big deal. Perhaps they at least sent out some clean cloths. Perhaps Mary had packed some for the journey, knowing the birth was near. We can only wonder.
The "Three Wise Women" meme has always made me laugh. It is especially funny because it captures very real differences between men and women.
Baby showers today always include items for bathing a baby. Diapers, towels, and a swaddling item are often on the list. The smell of Dreft laundry soap takes me back to when our boys were born. The gentle scent brings back so many memories... including the soft baby towels.
From babies to the elderly, soft towels bring comfort and joy. To have them in our homes daily is a luxury we take for granted.
Today, I am grateful for big, soft towels.
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