in harmony

Previous baptisms have included all our families~aunts and uncles, grandparents, and my Oma and Opa.

It would be irresponsible to ask my Opa to drive down (With Alzheimers, for the good of himself and others on the road, he should have been out of the drivers seat long before this...) and so, for the first time, they were not present. That was a very difficult adjustment for me to make. I felt the void they left behind.

Not only that, but circumstances prevented other family members from attending too. Aunts and Uncles, and even nearly my Mom and Dad.

Matt feels strongly that there is no good reason to postpone baptism and I tend to agree, wholeheartedly. This time, however, it was difficult for me to stand my ground, wanting very badly to postpone it a week so more could share in the day. But Matt was right: what's the difference of postponing a baptism one week versus one month all so that more guests could attend? Baptism, he said, is not ABOUT the guests...it's about Adele. So, he held firm-and I mostly moped.

That is why it was even more meaningful to see my Mother's face on Sunday morning. She had left her brood (minus two) with my Dad, who was unable to come and made the trek all by her lonesome. To a church she had never been to before. To a service that is nearly twice as long as her own. With two children in tow.

As we sat praising God with song, just two chairs away from one another, our voices rang out, the smoke of song sacrifice, wafting and dancing toward the heavens in harmony and I realized how very much it meant to me to be hearing her voice beside me. How very much her presence meant to me. I am forever grateful that you came, Mom, and that you shared in our Adele's special day at a time when I needed it most.