Signs of Spring

The dogwood and redbud bloomed very nicely in the back yard. The redbud blossoms are gone now, but there was a brief window when both were in their glory. Truly my favorite time of year...

Stella and Danielle had a remarkable 5th & 3rd birthday party. Great weather, lots of kids and supportive adults, and fun activities! Excellent planning & execution, M&M!!

And, we were all able to be present for Rebecca's baptism the following Saturday. Thanks to everyone who helped make that possible! I'm sure we will get more pictures on Kathleen's blog, but here is one of Suz & Rebecca.

One personal note about the baptism. I enjoy singing, but there have been a few times in my life when I have become so choked up that I have not been able to sing. One of those times was during the opening song at Rebecca's baptism. The words of the first verse and chorus are:

I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain
And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.
I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again.

As I have thought about why that happened, I realized that it was being impressed upon me again what I previously knew. This was that the whole process of covenant making through baptism was truly efficacious. The result was that I, personally, could be cleansed from my sins and that the effects of sin and of the atonement for sins brought about by Christ was a reality. Moreover, it was clear that I hoped for this for Rebecca and all my children and grandchildren. Now, that's a lot to take from simply not being able to sing from a cascade of feelings which I did not plan for nor create in myself, but that's how it was.