To Be Vessel And Passage

motherhood as Eucharist

Right now are the waning days of pregnancy. Contractions come and go. Intense, then subsiding. I can’t walk without waddling. Sleep is fitful, restless. Comfort is elusive. I wake a hundred times. Every morning the kids ask if the baby will be born today. No one knows. These are my last days to carry. To…

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eat, pray, light, bless: celebrate a baptism anniversary

Our sweet babe just celebrated his first baptism anniversary. One trip around the sun, one whole year a Christian. It’s a big milestone in our family. I’ve written about baptism anniversaries here and here, too. But I always find that these days sneak under the radar, despite circling the dates on the calendar and trying…

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sacrament, interrupted

I jostle one boy on my hip and nudge the other a step closer to the front of the line. Herding cats, I think as he wanders into the neighboring line of communion-goers. Using my one free hand I gently guide him back by the shoulder and whisper in his ear about trying to stay…

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to my son, on the eve of his baptism

Dear sweet boy, Tomorrow you’ll become a Christian. Your wriggling arms and legs will be plunged into a warm pool of water, and your lovely dark head will be slathered with oil. A candle will be lit, and a white gown will be worn. Your family and friends will gather to celebrate, and your life…

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a baptism anniversary: the third moment

One year ago today, we baptized our first child.  One, two, three plunges of a wriggling baby into the waters of new life. Not just a symbolic act, but a sacramental transformation that forever changed his relationship to us, to the Church, to God. Today I’ve been reflecting on what it means to live out…

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