Yesterday we celebrated Hannah Kate by participating in our church's Baby Dedication service. Our church honors babies and their parents twice a year in this special afternoon service that is actually separate from the morning worship services. There were 10 babies that participated in the service. It was so sweet and encouraging. It began with our Preschool Minister welcoming everyone and saying a prayer. Our Campus Pastor then led us in a short devotion followed by a responsive reading for all of the daddies and mommies. Then each family was called up one-by-one so our Pastor could pray over us. While each family was up front, our baby's picture was projected on the big screen behind us, along with a Bible verse that we had been asked to give to our Preschool Minister. Our verse for Hannah Kate was, of course, Psalm 37:3-4. We had also written a prayer for Hannah Kate that was printed in the program beside her picture. Our prayer was this: Dear Jesus, thank You for the precious blessing of our sweet Hannah Kate. Please give us wisdom as her parents and help us to lovingly guide and nurture her as she grows up. We pray that she will accept your gift of eternal life at an early age and that she will passionately pursue your plan for her life and love You. Amen.
One of the reasons that I was particularly excited about this day was because Hannah Kate wore what was my Christening gown when I was christened in the Methodist church as an infant. The gown was a gift to me from Grandmother (my dad's mother). My brother wore it when he was Christened also. Mama gave the gown to me when Mason was born. My intention was for him to wear it for his baby dedication, but my husband lovingly, yet firmly, said his boy wasn't going to wear a dress. I tried to explain to him that it wasn't a dress but a gown. He didn't go for that logic either.Yesterday we were getting ready to leave, and I told Seth I needed to change Hannah Kate's clothes. She was still wearing the "cute girl dress" she had worn to church that morning. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said he thought Hannah Kate was already dressed up enough. So I lovingly, yet firmly, asked him did he not remember what Hannah Kate was going to wear to her baby dedication ceremony, to which he responded, "Oh yeah, that Christening thing." Well, she was an absolute beauty in "that Christening thing," and I loved it when people commented on her gown because my response was, "I wore it for my Christening when I was an infant!" One girl even said, before knowing it was mine, "Oh what a beautiful gown! It looks like an heirloom." Okay, so the word 'heirloom' made me feel pretty old, but I was still proud of it none-the-less. And Pop and Mimi sent Hannah Kate a pearl bracelet with a cross to wear with her "vintage" gown.
