Mack's Baptism

There's something about having your youngest baby finally baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is infinitely rewarding.  We've now officially checked off the "Baptism" box on that invisible Parenting Checklist for all 4 of our kids.  There are still so many more things left to check off on that list for Mack...Cub Scouts, Young Men's, an Eagle project, high school graduation, college, a mission, the Temple...whew!  I'm just going to thoroughly enjoy these few moments with relief and gratitude before I start helping him with all that other stuff.

Mack's baptism was this morning at 11:00am.  What an amazing day!  

In Mendon, all of the girls' baptisms were planned by the Stake.  Because they shared the day with several other children, we didn't ever have the privilege or the responsibility of planning the program.  Mack had his baptism all by himself, so it was completely up to him who he wanted to have speak and which songs he wanted to sing.  I spent a couple of days going through the ward list, helping him think of teachers or special influential people who he might want to ask to participate.  But we had a hard time coming up with names that both of us felt good about.  And then, I had a brilliant idea!  Mack's three sisters are pretty much the most influential people in his life at the moment, and they were certainly capable of taking part in the program.  He loved that idea.  So here's what we came up with...

TCD played the piano, and June was the chorister and also sang a song.  

Spell Girl gave the talk on Baptism.  She opted to stay home from the Friday night football game to work on her talk.  She put so much time into that talk and made sure to say things specifically to Mack so that he would know that the day was really about him and his decision to be baptized.  I was so proud of her.

My father-in-law gave a wonderful talk on the Holy Ghost and related it to a story about a goose flying south for the winter and having to listen to the voice of his father to know which way to go.  He wrote down some Grandfather's Advice for Mack to keep.  Oh, how I love that man!

1. Listen to your father and mother.  They have made the flight before and they know the way to go.
2. When other people want you to do something you have doubts about, it's a sign that the leaves are turning and you should FLY SOUTH immediately.  Leaving immediately is safest.
3. When you're alone or with others, and you're unsure, just close your eyes for a minute and LISTEN carefully.  Your Father in Heaven will show you the way through the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.  It will be that warm and certain feeling inside.

We invited Mack's two best friends, Carson and Caden, and their families.  We invited the Rodriguez Family and the Futrells, our adopted Grs from Carrollton.  We also invited a handful of close friends in the ward.  It was such a wonderful feeling for Mack to see all the people he loves most in the world there with him on his special day.  There were a few people from Mendon and Salt Lake who he would've loved to have had there also, but 1200 miles is a long way.  He received texts from aunts, uncles, and cousins all day long, so he knew they were thinking of him.

After the baptism, they all came to our house for lunch...Mack requested Hawaiian food, sushi, and fruit pizzas for dessert.  (I opted out of the Friday night football game, too!)  There is nothing more gratifying than having a house full of people I love, enjoying one another and eating food that I've made.  (There was much stress about that on Thursday and Friday, by the way, because I've never actually made Hawaiian food before.  But thanks to my mom and the miracle of texting, I was able to pull it off.)  

Tonight, when we put Mack in bed, we asked him if he had a great day, and he said, "Yep. This was the best day of my whole life!"  And he threw his arms around us a hugged us.


I'm so grateful for a family that loves each other enough to work hard for one another, for a son who makes good decisions, and for a loving Heavenly Father who has provided a way for all of this to be possible.