On Sunday, June 8th we welcomed our beautiful daughter into the family. Yes, she is three months old, but it wasn’t the physical family we welcomed her to, but the family of Christ. We are so blessed to have been granted the gift of grace through Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice.
Becoming a parent has totally changed my perspective on Christ’s death and resurrection. The last two Lent and Easter seasons of the church have been filled with thoughts of Mary. This very young woman, who gave everything she had to be a servant. She risked being cast out by her family and community to bare this son. She laid him in the dirt and dust of a stable. She loved him with her entire being. I’m sure of this. She watched him lead a nation. And she watched as he was betrayed, beaten and died in the most gruesome of deaths. When my children get a scrapped knee or have a stuffy nose, I grieve for them. My heart hurts when they are hurting. How strong, how fearless, how devoted does a mother have to be to go through what Mary did? I’m overcome with love when I think of her sacrifice, with the sacrifice of her son- all for me, for my children. I will spend eternity, dancing with angels, because of the selfless acts of these people. They were human. They felt love and pain the same way I do. And yet they still chose to give me Grace. I’m not worthy, but am blessed.
Being able to witness this amazing gift being granted to my child is amazing. I felt more love on this day, as their head was washed in His water, then on the day they were born. I was completely filled with his spirit. Knowing that not only will I spend eternity in heaven, but knowing my children will join me there is beyond what words can explain. Such joy and peace filled my heart.
During the baptism ceremony, my husband & I made promises to our child. We promised to raise her in the church, to teach her the word of God, to pray with her and to fill her life with knowledge of God’s many gifts and blessings. But other shared in these promises too. Charlotte’s aunties were her sponsors. They made the promises too. If Ross and I are unable to fulfill these promises to our daughter, these amazing women will take over. They will continue to shower her with love and grace. Ross and I took a long time deciding who we wanted in this important role in our daughter’s life. We wanted people we loved and trusted. People who would always be with Charlotte. But we also wanted people who lived a life in Christ. We wanted people who knew Christ. These women are some of the most beautiful, wonderful women I know. We are honored that they chose to stand next to our daughter and will always be by her side to guide her through life.
Lastly, the entire congregation of believers stood and promised to help us raise our daughter to know and love Christ. We are blessed to be part of a wonderful Family of believers. We center our lives around our church and the people that have become family inside those walls. It takes a village and our St. John’s village has welcomed us all so graciously. I love knowing that on Sunday morning, I am greeted by name, my children look forward to seeing the people that sit around us. I love being care-free during service because other members know my children and love them despite their unruly behavior. I know that when Josiah runs down the aisle trying to escape from mom and dad, someone is going to scoop him up, give him a kiss on the cheek and tickle him. He will laugh, climb down and move on to the next person… and eventually mom will catch up (I also know Charlotte will be participating in this all too soon!)
After the service, we had a luncheon at our home. I had some pretty lovely decorations and food and of course, forgot to get pictures. Oh well, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. We had bbq pork and Caribbean jerk chicken sandwiches, potato salad, watermelon, a veggie tray and three kinds of ice cream cake that I made! Our little girl was also showered with beautiful gifts. We were all surrounded by such enormous amounts of love.
This is the gown Charlotte and Josiah were baptized in. I had it made when Josiah was born. The lace on the bottom of the dress is from my mom’s wedding gown, that I also made my veil from for my wedding. The little pin on the gown was from Ross’s mom and is Ross’s birthstone. It’s a pretty special dress.
These are my nieces giving my chickens some love! Are they not the cutest ever!?!
We are so blessed!
Welcome to the family Charlotte. It’s a good place.
Happy Harvesting,
Leah
Harvesting Roots 
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