The Baptism

After six long weeks of planning and preparation, Aidan’s baptism is over and done with. With practically no time to rest during those weeks we can now look back on our hard work and see that it really paid off. The party was a huge success!



No falls, no bites or stings, no shortage of food or drink, no heat stroke, no ill-tempers, plenty of fun, merriment, conversation and smiles.

Well, there was one incident. I had accidentally disturbed a yellow jacket nest and one of them attacked me. It got caught in my hair, I flailed, but it wasn't able to bite me. There must have been a blessing upon my head!

The only tiny drawback was the fact that none of the children were able to ride our horse, Willie, around, or feed the goats treats. We’ll make sure that’s checked off the list next time.

I’d like to thank everyone for all they brought to the potluck barbecue and all that was done beforehand. It couldn’t have possibly gone so smoothly without all of the necessities Chris and my mom brought that weekend; dozens of chairs, a plethora of tables, the pool, the ice, the shade, and much more. My mother-in-law was also pivotal to the party’s success for she helped almost every day with the house and property work; planting, weeding, dishes, laundry and running who knows how many errands.

Thank you Berni for bringing more necessities, thank you John for helping set up and a big “THANKS!” to everyone who came to support Aidan.

Despite all that was done, none of it would have been possible without Gina and Shane. They thought of, and delivered, Father Thomas. And it was he who had the idea of doing the ceremony outside. Not many priests would have the gumption to perform a baptism outside of the church. So thank you Gina, Shane, and Father Thomas for getting the ball rolling in the right direction. It was truly a blessing and will stay in our hearts forever.

Mass was one of the best I’ve witnessed. The amazing thing was that the only powerful gusts of wind we had all day came up and blew during key parts of the baptism. It felt like a true blessing from God. I really should have put the dogs away though because Hunter was chasing bugs amid the chairs and begging the priest for some Eucharistic bread.