It's taken me four days to write about Nate's baptism, which took place last Sunday at St. Stephen's in Birmingham. I've posted a ton of photos in the "Nate Baptism" album to the right.
It was a huge weekend for our family, who came from far and wide. Among them, my brother, sister and Shane's brother, who are all Nate's godparents. We also had Mark's family, Shane's parents, Aunt Lily and Uncle Charlie from Miami, Aunt Larraine from Tennessee and Aunt June and Uncle Lou from Jacksonville, along with family friends.
I chose St. Stephen's St. Stephen's Website because that is where Shane took our Catholic wedding vows. It's actually a small chapel that is now a mission of St. Paul's Cathedral, where Megan will be married in May. I first went to St. Stephens with my friends Katie and Barbi (who we have since lost to their Wisconsin home). I immediately liked it because it's so intimate; you feel as if you are really part of the service and the community. The chapel really services the UAB community, and reflects the diversity of the people who work and go to school there, particularly those who are in our country for a short time.
Unfortunately I was really sick throughout the weekend, but the adrenaline of gatherings and the moment kicked in and I held it together for the ceremony and brunch at our house. The photos really tell the story. The best part is that during the baptism (it was just baby Nate), all of our family and friends gathered around the font and were able to watch this big moment in Nate's life close-up.
He wore an Irish linen gown I ordered from a great store called Murphy's of Ireland, which featured Celtic knots (shout out to his heritage!) Murphy's of Ireland Link He also wore a locket that is a family heirloom, dating back to 1886, when it was worn by his great, great grandfather Albert and every descendant of his since during their baptisms. I held him while the priest poured the water, and Shane held my baptism cloth, bonnet and my brother's baptism cloth, placed over Nate. It's difficult to describe the emotion felt at that moment.
There was something incredibly reassuring about these layers of tradition. I thought about how at my grandmother's funeral nearly three years ago the priest talked about the white baptism cloth on the casket, and how that represented that she had completed her full journey here and was being born into the next. Our church is a flawed one for sure, but the deep symbolism is pretty powerful and I think more than metaphor. Like Paul Simon sings, "I was born before my father/and my children before me/and we are born and born again, like the waves of the sea."
On a far less philosophical note, Nate took the whole thing like a trooper, even when the priest poured water into his eyes! I promised Shane I'd never put Nate into a dress again, but was crossing my fingers because we have to have the Official Baptism Gown Photo Shoot (tm) next week.
So we continue to recover. I'll be posting some more photos taken during the weekend -- we had a bit of a family photo shoot by a professional photographer, and there are some great ones of the man of the hour.
I wish that I could go to Birmingham's fantastic Sidewalk Film Festival this weekend Link to Sidewalk Film Festival , and we may try to go, but rest is on the top of our agenda after all the merriment. There's a documentary about the Pixies we really want to see, but it's playing at *11:30 p.m.* Saturday night, which is about four hours later than any film start time should be for old people like us.
The highlight of the weekend will definitely be meeting the newborn babe of our friends Rick and Victoria, who welcomed their son Trey into the world this morning. Shout out to the newest resident of The Arbors!
