Our lovely second daughter turned 8 in Georgia but wanted to be baptized with family, so we planned ahead for a summer ceremony. Everything was in place with no time to spare and then, just hours before it was to start, we received word that the church had a sewage backup so we could not use the building. Fortunately we were in Minnesota, so there was a lake nearby and we were able to quickly change the venue to what we felt was a superior location.
We experienced a different intensity of sacredness, being immersed in God's creations while witnessing a covenant being made with Him. We started the ceremony at the lake shore, then migrated elsewhere to sing hymns under the tree boughs to the tune of my husband's guitar. The mothers preached, the fathers laid on hands; there was harmony and synergy.
Everything went off beautifully, and now that I have witnessed my own daughter's baptism in the serene, rippling blue waters, dressed in brilliant white, framed by the far green shore, I'm not sure I can ever plan another baptism in a tiled interior.
My sister made the collage below.
We concluded with ice cream on the shore of yet another nearby lake, Minnesota has so many. It was pure delight to be joined by so many beloved family members and friends on this special occasion.
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