I haven't looked at Elizabeth and Mary in quite that way before. I never thought of Elizabeth being the talk of her village or Mary bearing a secret to share with her older cousin. I'm not sure the Gospel writer Luke would approve. He is less interested in our having empathy for these two women than he is in making sure his readers understand that Mary and Elizabeth are part of a divine plan, the fulfillment of ancient prophecies. For Luke, no detail of the Christmas story is unforeseen or unplanned.
Every piece fits into a divine jigsaw that has been sitting on some heavenly card table for eons.
First comes the angel Gabriel's visit to Zechariah, an aging priest who is about to cash in his 403b plan. People down there can't count, anyway. Buy a car seat and a case of Ben Gay. You're about to become a Daddy. This is, of course, the Abraham and Sarah story recast for Luke's purposes.