One of the blessings we experienced was the opportunity we had to have a family baptism service for Tyler on his 8th birthday, September 27th. Just a day before the movers came, it was an exhausting as well as a sweet time. Bitter and sweet are always a package deal.
The sweet part was Tyler's sincere desire and enthusiasm to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He would wake up on cloud nine and report that his mind was spinning with excitement and he could barely sleep. Another sweet blessing was the opportunity the baptism provided for us to gather with dear family and close friends and share this experience. Camille and John's family joined us from Fresno, as well as our nearby family: Jason and Lindy, Mel and Rol, Colby and Heidi, and both sets of grandmas. Dear friends from our ward, the Sutherlands, Plumbs, Hendersons, and Combes attended as well as our third grandma, and San Diego neighbor, Edda. We were able to take a break from the endless packing process and enjoy some family time, from dinners to Bananagram challenges, the moments were memorable. Tyler thrived on another oppportunity to play with his cousins and didn't waste a spare minute of playtime.
All of our family was able to participate in the baptism which added to the spirit and closeness of the service. Megan and Kaylee sang a duet accompanied by Joanne Stohs on the violin and myself on the piano. Jason gave a touching talk on baptism and Grandma Langford a tender talk on the Holy Ghost. Camille and Lindy offered prayers and Greg performed the baptism with John and Ron as witnesses. Grammy cooked up a delicious feast to devour beforehand and such a display of cookies, fudge, dipped rice krispie treats and goodies afterwards. Colby was the family photographer with his new camera and Mel and Heidi helped out with set-up and everything else. Trent was our comic relief and persisted in declaring, " I want to go swimming!" throughout the baptism.
The bitter part was shed in tears of sorrow, knowing that these associations would no longer be daily or as frequent. Change is difficult, though it provides opportunity for growth. Saying farewell was painfully difficult, a good reminder that the most important thing in life is our relationships with others.
The sweet part was Tyler's sincere desire and enthusiasm to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He would wake up on cloud nine and report that his mind was spinning with excitement and he could barely sleep. Another sweet blessing was the opportunity the baptism provided for us to gather with dear family and close friends and share this experience. Camille and John's family joined us from Fresno, as well as our nearby family: Jason and Lindy, Mel and Rol, Colby and Heidi, and both sets of grandmas. Dear friends from our ward, the Sutherlands, Plumbs, Hendersons, and Combes attended as well as our third grandma, and San Diego neighbor, Edda. We were able to take a break from the endless packing process and enjoy some family time, from dinners to Bananagram challenges, the moments were memorable. Tyler thrived on another oppportunity to play with his cousins and didn't waste a spare minute of playtime.
All of our family was able to participate in the baptism which added to the spirit and closeness of the service. Megan and Kaylee sang a duet accompanied by Joanne Stohs on the violin and myself on the piano. Jason gave a touching talk on baptism and Grandma Langford a tender talk on the Holy Ghost. Camille and Lindy offered prayers and Greg performed the baptism with John and Ron as witnesses. Grammy cooked up a delicious feast to devour beforehand and such a display of cookies, fudge, dipped rice krispie treats and goodies afterwards. Colby was the family photographer with his new camera and Mel and Heidi helped out with set-up and everything else. Trent was our comic relief and persisted in declaring, " I want to go swimming!" throughout the baptism.
The bitter part was shed in tears of sorrow, knowing that these associations would no longer be daily or as frequent. Change is difficult, though it provides opportunity for growth. Saying farewell was painfully difficult, a good reminder that the most important thing in life is our relationships with others.
1 comment:
Congratulations, Tyler! You made a wonderful decision by being baptized. We are so proud of you! We love you!!
Love, Aunt LeAnn, Uncle Tim, and cousins
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