Sunday-Funday

I drove down to Karen and Mark's yesterday morning, to ride down to the baptism with them.  All my grand kids were home for the event.  My grand girl from Oregon was to be the God Mother.

We went to Mass first, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.  They claim it as an historic church, but I noticed it's date was 1932, and, personally?  I don't call that historic.  Maybe it was historic for something else?

There we all sat--taking up one whole pew.  Karen, Me, Grand daughter Helene and baby Della, Mark, Maddie, Marcus and his GF Morgan, Steven and his GF Caroline.  The pew thinned out when they went up for communion--leaving Morgan, Caroline and me.

Back to Helene's for breakfast.  

Her hubs Mike was home preparing the meal.  Then Maddie's boyfriend arrived, Stefan Von Bulow.  German!!  YAY!! and Catholic.  He and Maddie were in the same home school group when they were tiny tots and somehow have found each other again, in their 20th year.  

I got a tiny bit of time with Della.  She cries every time I hold her face-to-face, so I hold her looking out, and we get along quite well.

Back to the church for the baptism.   

The Jewish grandma was there, as well as the Jewish grandpa and his wife.  Son-in-law Mark's parents were also there.  They had driven down from way up north, and his mother kept telling everyone and complaining about the long ride for a "thirty minute deal".  She is a piece of work and I would like to kindly tell her that 77 year old women don't look good in ink-black hair dye, but I keep those thoughts to myself.

We all went up, behind the altar, to the baptismal font.  I thought the priest did an excellent inter-denominational baptism.

He invoked Jewish scripture and blessed the Daddy.  Then blessed Della with oil on her forehead, eyes, ears and heart.  Blessed the Momma, invoked the responsibilities on the God Parents, Aunt Susanna and Uncle Marcus and then took Della over to the font and used the little spoon to pour water over her head.  Not a peep out of her, so I guess she liked it.  Then the Lord's Prayer, which in the Catholic church ends a few words short of the Protestant version and I forgot and mumbled three extra words before I remembered to stop.

I noticed that the baptismal area was a quite large marble enclosed pool with steps.  So after wards, I asked the priest if they do full immersions.  I supposed for adult conversions/baptisms?

He replied, "Yep.  We dunk 'em here.  Children and adults."
I said, "Ah.  Like the name of your church--John the Baptist.  He dunked 'em too."
"Yes he did.  He dunked a lot of them"
"One in particular, that was most important." I replied.
"Yes.  The very best!"
"Amen, Father.  Amen."  I said.

 Grandson Stephen and GF Caroline had to get back up to Michigan State to study for a big exam today.  The study of the liver.  Stephen was impressed when I mentioned, "Ah.  You're studying Hepatology now?"

Everyone else went back to Helene and Mike's place for a light supper, so I rode back to Karen and Mark's with Stephen and Caroline.  We had a great conversation on health care, sports, and medical specialities.  

I thanked them for the ride, hugged and kissed and jumped into my car and was home by 4:30--exhausted!!

It was a lovely day in that I got to see all of my older grand kids, meet their new love interests and observe the Darling Della.