A Serious Occasion

You would not be able to guess from this photograph

that this was a very serious occasion.  Those are Ollie’s feet, disappearing beneath a pew, as he and his friend Issac scampered through the church after his baptism.  I would like to be able to tell you that scampering only occurred after the service was over, but that would not be true.  Ollie and Issac pretty much whooped it up through out and enjoyed themselves immensely, making it a very satisfying baptism for all of the adults involved.

Baptism is probably a touchier subject in most mixed-marriages than it is in ours, but I love the church Ollie was baptized in.  It has a very solid, secure feeling to it — the sort of place that helps you understand the magic in religion and feel like miracles really do happen, all the time in our daily lives, if we just take the time to notice them.

The one miracle that did not occur for me was the event know in our family as "the blessed taking of a photograph in which all four children are at least looking into the camera if not smiling."  Although I shot at least 20 frames (since they were all bathed and wearing clean, vaguely respectable clothing at the same time — a rare occurrence in our household), this was about the best I managed.

It’s a miracle to have four beautiful children, including two who like knitting and three who lay claim to some sort of artistic territory.  I’m constantly grateful for their presence in my life and the reminders that not all important occasions are meant to be serious ones.