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| St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Community holds a special Children's Baptism Service on the second Saturday of each month. It's not a private event. It's very Spirit-filled, casual, child-friendly, and attended by any family and friends who can come. The officiant knew every family there, which made it so sweet. |
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| Daniel's Tia Valeria and Uncle Fred are his Godparents. |
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| First, our celebrant speaks to everyone in the foyer of the church. He goes from family to family asking, "What do you want for your child?" D speaks up when it's his turn, "I want to be baptized." |
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| After meeting in the foyer with the 12 other families whose children will be baptized in this special service, we all bring our little ones into the sanctuary. We are first in. |
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| D listens to the deacon who conducts the service. |
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| Practicing some preaching moves? |
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| Sacramental EVOO |
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| Each child is anointed first over his/her heart. |
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| From the background of this picture, you can see that almost all the other children are infants. Daniel explains how he was anointed to his friend Anthony. |
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| and also to Lovely, Sachin, and HeyYea. |
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| Baptismal Font and Pool |
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| In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
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| Joy! Joy! |
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| Josie, Papi, and Uncle Dodo look on while D is baptized at the back of the church. |
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| The anointing after baptism is lavish and fragrant. |
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| Then Godparents Valeria and Fred light Daniel's candle from the Christ candle . . . |
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| . . . and give it to D. |
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| D blesses the celebrant with his extinguished candle; a gentle touch to the forehead. |
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| Everyone enjoys the gesture! |
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| Cecilia's best friend, Valeria, and Valeria's husband Klaus travelled from Rio to Texas. |
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| Love this. On so many levels. |
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| Next, the party at our house. |
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| A new birthday number! |
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| Lots of blessings to celebrate. In the big frame on the mantel, a dozen photos of the past year to review. |
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| More blessings! |
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| More love--my brother Doug aka Uncle Dodo and his wife, my sister Iris aka Auntie Nana. |
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| Party chat (in Portuguese) |
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| Josie graciously intervenes in the present pillaging. [See the oil on D's forehead? It was ree-ee-ally fragrant. We were all reaching for allergy meds by mid-afternoon.] |
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| After Garlic Shrimp, Lasagna, breads, cheeses, fruits and veggies, the buffet is cleared for the good stuff. A fruit bouquet, chocolate-dipped strawberries, Cowboy Cookies, Chocolate Cake, and--of course--BlueBell Homemade Vanilla. [This is just before the recall. There's been a BlueBell drought all summer.] |
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| The Cupcake Cowgirls do a great job on a "Messy Chocolate Cake." What?!! No, I did not make my grandson's cake from scratch. Let me just say that before the party, the 4 adult house guests escaped for an impromptu overnight in The Big Easy. The Brasilieros took a rare chance to be grown-ups and 'research' the difference between Mardi Gras and Carnival. At 65, I've gained a little wisdom. Cookies, lasagna, and marinated shrimp are make-aheads to satisfy the homemade list. GiGi can bake all she wants after her boy leaves for LA. But now we have more important things on our agenda. Hopefully he won't have to pay a therapist to unravel all the complex emotional repercussions of a store-bought cake for birthday #3. |
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| Mamae helps Daniel see the whole table, including the happy little box people floating above. |
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| After the weekend's festivities, we needed to take Klaus and Valeria for Goode Company Texas Barbecue. Brazilian Churrascos are unrivaled, but after this meal, Klaus asked if we could come back to Goode Company before they flew home to Rio the next day. |
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| Iris always has something going on with Steve. |
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| Lots of stickers!! A funny face book. Pecan Pie. All of these are best when shared. |
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| Almost all of the fam chows down on Goode Company ribs, brisket, sides, and that heavenly Jalapeno Cheese Bread. left: Doug, Iris, Daniel, Cecilia, Valeria right: me, Klaus, Will, Steve Sr. [We sure missed Steve Jr.--he had an out-of-town commitment this weekend.] |
I'm just so thankful to celebrate all these blessings in my life. Thank You, God.
Whatever is good and perfect
comes down to us from God our Father,
who created all the lights in the heavens.
He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
James 1:17, New Living Translation
