Godparents

We have officially set a date and chosen godparents for our little Hughtiepie! It has been on my to-do list for awhile but I was dragging my feet about calling the minister. In short, he is a very kind man with all the best of intentions but he is sort of passive aggressive about our attendance at church. To be fair, he isn't wrong...we need to be better about getting to church. That being said, we were not yet living in Maine when I had the big kids baptized and he made me feel like an outsider in what I had always thought of as "my church". My mother is a member there and has sung with the choir for as long as I can remember. I, and both of my siblings, were baptized there. We also attended Sunday school there when we were kids. Matt and I were married there, as were my parents and grandparents. Lily attends preschool in their annex! For my entire life this building has been at the center of my faith.

About ten years ago the minister, whom I had always assumed would be there forever, left. Since then the congregation had several interim ministers (one of whom married Matt and I) before choosing the man that is now there permanently. From where I stand, he is the outsider. I know that isn't very Christian of me. We were living in MA during the time that the congregation was going through so many changes but I had always assumed that when we settled down this would again become "our church". The median age of the congregation is approximately 82. There are very few young families. It is a shame that this minister would feel the need to make comments about our attendance (or lack there of) every time he sees me. Doesn't he know you catch more flies with honey?! Instead of making young families feel embarrassed (yes, he says things in front of the entire congregation) on Easter Sunday how about a little praise for the monumental task of getting everyone fed, washed, dressed, and out of the house by 8:15. (bonus praise should be given to those parents who did it all without yelling or crying!)  We are all doing our best.

So I put off the call, dragged my feet, rehearsed my lines. Like most things the actual call was not nearly as painful as I had built it up to be in my head. The minister was pleasant and accommodating. He seemed vaguely unsure of who I was...which is a little insulting, but again I take partial responsibility. We set a date and arranged to meet with him as a family to discuss ceremony details about a week beforehand. Phew!

Choosing godparents in today's day and age mean something different to everyone. For us it does not mean that if something happens to us that our children will be raised by their godparents. Godparents to us are not even necessarily people who consider themselves religious. Each of the people we have chosen have good hearts and want the very best for our kids. Someday I will be able to explain to all of my kids why we chose their specific godparents, what they mean to us, and they will be left knowing deep in their hearts that there are two special people in the world who made a promise to God that they would look after them. (That is the hope anyway!) A few weeks ago we confirmed with Matt's sister that she would honor us by being Hugh's godmother. All that was left to do was ask the godfather. We chose to ask the husband of one of my very best friends. Over the years we have all become super close. He is kind, humble, and generous to a fault. We could not ask for a more loyal friend and (bonus) he loves our children! Hugh and I worked up the following "slideshow" and sent it to him via text! (Disclaimer...we love that Rich was raised Jewish...but we also love to make jokes about it, haha) (ALSO majorly kicking myself for not using the real camera, I realize the baby is blurry!)

July 24th our precious baby will be one step closer to God, reception/killer 1st birthday party to follow!