We spent the weekdays on Oyster Bay, but left the camper and drove to Seattle on two weekends to visit my son, Shawn, his wife, Lakshmi, and my grand daughter, Mira. We had such fun playing with the baby, catching up with her parents, baby sitting, and going out to Elliott’s on the Wharf for a birthday celebration for Penny.
I took Penny to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma for her birthday present.
The young family seems to have bonded over the baby; they obviously adore her (and why not?) And, they are working as a team to care for the baby and to each get morning exercise before work. They work well as a team in feeding, changing, playing with her. Impressive!
We had a wonderful experience while attending St. Joseph’s church just 3 blocks down the street from Shawn’s. Five babies were being baptized and it was one of the most moving liturgies I have ever witnessed. The priest first called all the young children up to the altar; there must have been forty of them. He had them all sit down on the steps and then invited a few of them to help him bless the water. He had them hold their hands above the bowl while he poured the water from the pitcher; he encouraged them to get their hands wet as he blessed the water. Then he had them sit back down and invited the parents and godparents to bring the babies up to be baptized. He took each one in one arm and poured three large handfuls over their foreheads, “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”. Then, he held each up high above his head while turning around to show the new member to the whole congregation who were applauding en masse as the choir sang “Alleluia, Alleluia!”. Not one child cried. In fact, each seemed to intuit a sacred moment; a few reached out towards the congregation, another clapped her hands. Wonderful!
