A Letter to Braylen Jael on the Morning of her Baptism

Dear sweet Braylen Jael,

Today you will become a Christian.

A white gown will be worn. You will be baptized with holy water sprinkled upon your beautiful hair by Godfather Flowers. Your family and friends are gathering to celebrate, and your life will forever be marked by the promises of God that we will witness together.

Today is a most important day. My head is filled with so many thoughts and prayers for you. Today is the day dad and I make good on the promise we made to God. We prayed so many times that if He would allow us to have a child we would dedicate that child back to Him for service. I'm not sure how emotional I will be today but just know if you see tears on my face it's simply because I'm in awe of God's work and I'm so happy He chose me to be your mom.

My prayer for you today is this: Do not take your baptism for granted and do not be a casual Christian. Spend some good amount of your time and your life trying to figure out who God is and who you are and why it all matters.

Your own calling on your life will emerge gradually over time, but your story begins in a new way today. Baptism is new birth and a promise of life that reaches even beyond death.

My dear, sweet Braylen, faith is a gift I cannot give you. Today your father and I along with your Godparents will pledge our hope and our love and our promise to raise you as best we can in a life of faith. We cannot hand it to you as simply as we might wish. We can only plant a few seeds, step back and pray for rain and good sun.

Before you were my child, you were God’s. When we were having difficulty expanding our family we knew God had you in heaven with Him waiting on the perfect time to bless my womb. So today we will seal that truth with a sacramental sign. The church waits to welcome you.In this broken world in which we live, there are few things more beautiful than that. May your heart always hold some memory of the peace you know today, the joy we will know today, and the love we will have for you always.

In peace, joy and love of Jesus –

Mommy