The Dedication

Many people have wondered, so just what is a dedication anyways!? Well it is our promise to raise our child in a Godly home, seeking to teach him the ways of our faith and the teachings of Jesus. It is similar to a baptism or christening that is found in other denominations. In my mind it is similar to when Jesus' parents brought him to the temple to present him to the Lord (Luke 2:21-38). We took Isaac into the temple (church) to present him to the Lord. Will he be baptised then? Yes, we do believe in baptism, but I was raised in a denomination where children choose to be baptised when they come into the understanding of who Jesus is and what their relationship is with him. I think that is the age when many children do first communion in other denominations like the Catholic Church and Lutheran Church. I think it is wonderful that we all serve the same Lord and that we can do so in different ways. We are currently attending the church where I grew up. It was nice to have him dedicated where I spent so much time as a child learning about Jesus.

In this picture, the service is getting ready to start. I had to put Isaac's bib back on so that he didn't drool all over his cute outfit. We didn't buy a traditional outfit while we were in China. I didn't really see any that I liked and we were worried about money since Craig had just been laid off. It seemed extravagant. We found this cute outfit in the China pavilion at Epcot.

After the first song, the pastor started the dedication. There were five children being dedicated! Isaac was the most active of them all! There are times when you want your child to stand out, this was not one of them!! Grandma got a picture of Isaac trying to escape Mommy's arms.

Here we are with "Uncle" Dominic. Craig asked Dominic to be Isaac's godfather. Uncle Dominic bought Isaac a beautiful gold cross that he can wear when he is older to commemorate the day!

With Grandma. Isn't that a cool dragon on his top?
With the family. From left to right: Grandma, Grandpa, Isaac, Daddy, Mommy, and Uncle Joe.

What a beautiful family! Last Mother's Day I wouldn't leave the house. I was so sad. This year, it is so unbelievable. I want to stand on the rooftop and yell, "Look what the Lord has done!" In the past I related to Hannah crying in the temple (I Samuel 1-2). To me I felt like Hannah and every mother felt like Peninnah showing off all of her children. To make it worse the church would play games like the most children & grandchildren. It was more than I could bear! Last year I told Craig, "No More! I'm never going to church again on Mother's Day until I am a mother!" I never imagined it would be this year. This year I felt like Hannah going back to the temple after Samuel was born. How fitting in my heart that we could also dedicate him to the Lord on Mother's Day. At first I was horrified, I felt horrible for the women who like me in the years before could not celebrate. To me it was more healing to be able to dedicate my son to the Lord on a day that had been so difficult for me in the past. We prayed for his birthmother in China. We prayed that she would come to know the Lord and that she would know that her son is safe and loved.

Oh my! I have to run to work. I will post more updates later!!