Today is a Beautiful Day that the Lord Has Made!

When we started going to church last fall, I was cynically waiting for the proverbial wheels to fall of the bus anytime but they never did.  I had always dreamed of belonging to a church where people did life together, where community was real; but I always sort-of-thought it was just that, a dream.  Chris and company had humored me about trying out different churches over the years but they thought it was all a dream as well.  Thankfully they are just as thrilled its not a dream, but real; as I am.  

Today was such a special day.  Unfortunately, it's like a wedding day as much as you want to remember every word spoken, afterward its hard to articulate all that happened.  We were interviewed by Pastor and the Elders before services last week, so that this week we could join the church.  It seems like such a small thing but for people who don't take commitments lightly, it was a huge step and one all over were overjoyed to do.  The cherry on the top, was that today was also the day that Jared and Amber were finally baptized.  Jared had at least been "Dedicated" but when Amber was born we were not attending a church and never found one since that we liked enough to ask them to baptize her.  Watching them be baptized by Pastor was such a special event, his joy seemed to equal our own.  

 

Through out the ceremony the one thing that seemed to stand out in everyone's mind was when Pastor said what "what a blessing your family has already been to us."  Not just "what a blessing we would be", but they were already thankful for our involvement the last few months, that really special.

Ironically, after services today we had the A family to our house for brunch (we'd made the plans before we knew we'd be joining the church that day).  However, it was the appropriate way to celebrate with friends from church that we are getting use to doing life with.  Never in my life have I spent so much time with so many people from the same group.  I can't remember that last time where we didn't have someone coming to the house or us going to someone's on the weekend.  What huge blessing, huge blessings indeed.

This was the best way I can imagine to finish off my birthday week.

Turning 50 wasn't so bad.  I have been practicing for quite some time.  When people asked my age over the last six months, I've said "nearly 50", so when the day came I was rather use to the idea.

My children made breakfast for me in the morning, which was nice treat as I laid in bed a bit later than normal.  At the table was a nice surprise of books (published in 1971), bath-stuff from my Aunt and Uncle, a homemade (by Titus) Sudoku book, complete with a pencil holder (I've wanted one for a long time) and a card with prose/original song Amber wrote which was wonderful.  It was a beautiful morning.

As is the fate of mother's we had a busy day with people over practicing for theater that I could not post-pone but I did request an early departure.  My dear friend and her daughter brought me a lovely gift to pamper myself.  This year I made a decision not to "save" my indulgent bath gifts but to actually use them as as soon I got them.  I must say this is much better idea.

In the evening, we enjoyed a yummy lasagna per Chris, and some chocolate brownies per Titus to enjoy while we watched one of my favorite versions of Jane Austen's Persuasion. It was a lovely day.