Welcome to the Family

On Sunday, February 12 1984 I was baptized into the Catholic Church.  YAY!  I remember that day like it was yesterday...okay not really but my parents helped me remember this day every year by throwing a little Happy Baptism Day party.  What a great thing to remember.  I'm all about birthdays but let's be honest, the day you are baptized is the day you are really born.  You are born into something so much greater than this world, you are baptized into eternal life. 
So this year will be the first year that I celebrate this day with my husband and he's been great about reminding me that it's "almost the big day." aka my baptism day...and we're planning a little celebration just the two of us, but it is nice that this day will not go unnoticed just because my family has changed a little.  We are starting our own traditions and this is one that is getting carried over to my Link family. 

But this also calls me to reflect on how awesome it is that we are given the gift of baptism, we are adopted into God's loving arms and called family.  A family that loves, always, without fail even when WE fail.  This gift also calls us to a responsibility to bring others into our family...I think about that now that I am married and getting ready to start a family; the day I baptize my child into a life with Christ my responsibility will grow tremendously but also in a beautiful way because I will have the honor of teaching my little ones about a Love that will walk with them throughout their entire life.  The day you're baptized your life changes forever...you are a new creation in Christ, you have been made new!  And I can sit and reflect on this all because 28 years ago my parents stood up in front of the entire Church and made a promise to do their best and raise me to understand that Love that never fails.  When were you baptized?  It's worth a celebreation!