Dedication

Last weekend, Sapphie was dedicated. Do you know what that means? It means that Kevin and I promised, in front of our family and closest friends, that we would raise Sapphie to be spiritual, to love God, and to live her life according to the teachings of the Bible. We chose our very best friends, Brian and Christina, to help us fulfill our promise. They are Sapphie's Godparents.

God and spirituality have always been a big part of my life. Well, not always, but at least for as long as I can remember. I used to be embarrassed to have to go to church. There were so many religious freaks out there that gave Christians a bad name. Now that I'm older, however, I really do cherish the lifelong lessons that I've learned from the Bible. Here are some of the most important things that I use every day:
Forgiveness
Understanding and compassion
Love
Faith
Hope

I hope that Sapphie acquires all of these wonderful gifts, because I know that they are key to a happy life. I also hope that she uses them on me when she is a terrible teenager and thinks I'm a big loser.

Faith is a big one, and I've been sharing my gift of faith with Kevin a lot these days. The financial situation is scary for everyone, especially us young people with very few assets. Poor Kevin gets sucked into the media frenzy that has everybody in a panic, then he comes home all furrow-browed and scared for us. I tell him not to worry, everything will be just fine. We will always be safe and happy, because we are blessed. It sounds cheesy doesn't it? But it's true!

Just to prove it, I'll tell you a little bit about the dedication. It was beautiful, and perfect. Kevin's aunt Jen and uncle Jim let us use their amazing home for the ceremony and party. They have the most green and luscious back yard with a slate patio, a coy pond, an arbor with a pebble aisle, and a gorgeous private yard with hedges all around. Liz helped me a lot with organizing the party. Actually, Kevin's parents and my parents shared the cost of the party with us. If it weren't for them, we would have had a very small gathering in the sticks of Vermont. Thanks to them, we were able to invite all of our extended family and have an intimate celebration with all of our loved ones. The weather was sunny and warm, with just the slightest breeze blowing. Not everybody was able to attend, but it was really the perfect mix of people. Almost half my family and half Kevin's, for the first time ever (his family always outnumbers mine)!
My dad performed the ceremony. It was beautiful and a few of us cried. Sapphie slept through the whole thing, until he anointed her with oil. Then she woke up and was ready to party! After the ceremony, we ate yummy food, had cake, and opened some very generous gifts for our little girl.

That night, while the Giovino's were entertaining a whole bunch of us, I sat watching everybody and thinking how much I love our family. It is so special to come together, to celebrate each other, and show our love for one another. To support us in our efforts to raise our children; to teach them to be grateful for their life and their family; to help them develop a relationship with God. We truly are blessed, and as long as we have one another, we will always be ok.

Here are a ton of pictures from that beautiful day