Remember, Remember: Lori's baptism

Lori was baptized on Sunday, September 19, 1999. I remember doing the "baptism book" with her, to help her prepare for this wonderful day. We would go over a few pages every few days for a couple months before the big day. Looking back, I am not sure it was the best thing to do. But it was what I knew to do, so that is something. I was never really lazy as a mom, but not always wise.  Perhaps wise comes with time.

Lori's baptism was a few months after Mimi McQuade passed away. So much of that year is a blur as I just went through the motions. But Lori's baptism was not a blur. I remember it clearly partly because Mimi told me before she died,  she would be with me at my kids important events--baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, mission setting apart, temple sealing's etc.

On Lori's baptism, I was hoping I would somehow feel my mom with me that day. I am pretty sure Mimi kept her promise that day, but the truth is I didn't really know how to recognize whether she was there. Over the next several years as I reprioritized my life, I came to better recognize the spirit and spiritual things in my everyday life.

Instead of the baptism book I think I would have simply chatted about the baptism covenant. I would have told her that in a covenant we make promises to God and God promises blessings for us.  I would have explained that we promise to love and serve others and also to love and serve God.  We can love and serve others when we speak kind words and watch out for when people around us are lonely and sad.   I would have told her that we can love and serve God when we pray and keep His commandments. I would have explained that sometimes this is hard to do, sometimes we may not even understand why we are asked to do them and sometimes we will most certainly mess up. But that that okay because even though it will be hard, we can repent and God will forgive and forget our sins and we can start all over again.

Then I would tell her that IF we do all that, THEN God would bless us with the help of the Holy Ghost. And that is a wonderful gift. The Holy Ghost will watch over us, He will teach us--in fact He will help us know what kind words to say and who might be sad and lonely. The Holy Ghost will help us remember our Heavenly Father and that sometime after we are really old we can go back and live with Him. And that is the best thing ever.

As I looked back over these pictures I remember and am grateful for so many things. I remember and am grateful for a good bishop(Tom Owen),