Thankful. Blessed.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” MATTHEW 19:14

Today we baptized our sweet Nora. All of our families came together and filled up four whole pews. It was especially special because it was Palm Sunday and the church allowed for only Nora to be baptized. During the service the Sunday school children performed a special song where they came in waving palm trees, singing and praising. What a beautiful day to baptize our daughter. There was so much excitement and happiness flooding the room.

She wore this sweet white dress, big bow on her bald head, and the most adorable little tights and socks. This was her day. She was shining brighter than the clear blue skies. I sat in the pew holding her awaiting the moment we head up to the altar to dip her into the holy water. I just wanted to soak it all in. As I sit here reminiscing about the day, I can’t believe how fast it all went. After the baptism was done I went to the front of the church and held her for all to see as I listened to the entire congregation say, “Nora welcome to Gods Family.” Talk about butterflies. It felt like 900 people wrapping their arms around us, embracing us and loving us.

Since I’ve had children, I’ve really started to give time for devotion and prayer. Each night when I put my 2-year-old down, I say our prayer and she laughs when I say “God Bless, Mommy, Daddy, Ayyyyyyyla, and Nora.”  When I say her name I either tickle her or dot her nose and she giggles. Then I let her decide who to say next. Sometimes she names the rest of the family- aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. Then there are other times it’s random things such as Anna and Elsa from Frozen, neigh-neighs (horses), or the macaroni and cheese she loves so much. But she is learning to pray and be thankful for those who love her and who are apart of her family.

Baptisms are a special time that we can celebrate becoming one of God’s children. When we tuck our children into bed at night, whether you believe or don’t believe or believe in something else, may we take the time to teach them and ourselves to give thanks for the life we live, the people we love and the people who love us because there can never be enough love.

Whether you are apart of God’s family or not, may you think about those in your life that you love and love you and the daily things that make you happy. Be thankful because these are gifts given especially to you.

Bless You.