Today I got to attend my cousin, Sheldon's, baptism and play the piano for the service. It's always a special occasion to see another child of God make the decision to be baptized. Today seemed to be more special, maybe because it is the anniversary of my own baptism--22 years ago.
Sheldon was so sweet! It was neat that his sister, Ashlynn, gave the talk on baptism and that his brother, Brendan, gave the talk on confirmation and receiving the Holy Ghost. They both did a great job.
It was especially fun to see Sheldon's excitement. As soon as Ashlynn said amen at the end of her talk, he said, "OK, now it's time," and jumped up and almost ran to the font. Uncle Jon (also Sheldon's uncle) baptized him.
Grandpa Sommerfeld confirmed him and gave a wonderful blessing. Afterward, when he was told to shake hands with those in the circle and to hug his family, he made his way around the whole room hugging members of his family. No one felt impatient; even though the instruction was just intended for those who participated in confirming him, it was so sweet and wonderful to see his excitement and happiness and love as he hugged each member of his family and shook hands with the others in the room. As I still sat at the piano, I could see both smiles and tears on many faces.
Of course, we all missed having his dad there. Grandpa's blessing for Sheldon included a blessing of safety for Uncle Chris (Sheldon's dad) as he is currently deployed in Afghanistan. We are all grateful for Chris and his continued sacrifice to serve our country and preserve our freedoms; we missed him today.
As I said, today is also the anniversary of my baptism. I remember also feeling excited. But I also remember that I didn't necessarily feel any different after being baptized. One of the things that has always stood out to me was that it was special that I got a little extra time with my dad that day, since we went to the church earlier than the rest of the family. For a time I thought maybe there was something wrong with that--why was that what stood out to me most? As I reached adulthood, I also found a parallel in this feeling. My Heavenly Father entrusted me to earthly parents. As I enjoyed being close to my earthly father that day, I was taking an important step in coming closer to my Heavenly Father. The love I feel toward my earthly father and the love I know he has for me is small and imperfect compared to the love of my Heavenly Father, but He sent me to an earthly family so I could be reminded of His love.
I do remember that I sang that day, as well: "I Believe in Christ." From the first time I remember singing this beautiful hymn in a Primary singing time, it has been one of my favorites. And, of course, my choice to be baptized was an outward expression of my belief and faith in Christ, a covenant with Him that I would take His name upon me and strive to keep His commandments and always remember Him.
I am grateful for parents who taught me the gospel and prepared me for baptism and for other ordinances. I am grateful to have witnessed Sheldon's baptism today. I love this gospel. I know it is true. I know that through the restoration of the priesthood, we have access to the ordinances necessary to be able to return to our Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, that He was baptized to set the example for all mankind, and that it is because of His atonement, death, and resurrection that we will all live again and that we can return to our Heavenly Father.
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