Today Is a Baptism Day

Sunday was a baptism day. My child was one of the many baptized on All Saints’ Sunday. My heart was and is full from the beautiful, holy, and slightly humorous moment where all of his people affirmed that he is God’s beloved child. (He refused to give up the cracker sticking out of his mouth as I brought the water to his forehead.) As a baby born during the pandemic, he has had the love of a community surround him with limited physical interaction. It is hard for me to put to words the feeling of hearing his people say “We will” and knowing that many who were unable to travel were saying the same at home while they livestreamed the service.

As much as I considered other books for November, my heart kept returning to my toddler’s baptism and therefore my own book, “Today Is a Baptism Day,” written for families like mine. Although not perfect, it is a starting point for wondering about baptism as a family. Right now we play “find Mommy” in the book. And what struck me this time was the space to personalize your family’s baptism story. Family and friends wrote and drew hopes, memories, and prayers for my toddler on the blank pages in back for him to return to over and over again. The above photo will be glued along with baptism cards within the covers. His book is becoming more than my words and Peter Kruger’s illustrations; it is becoming my toddler’s baptism story.

“Today Is a Baptism Day” by Anna V. Ostenso Moore and Peter Krueger. Published by Church Publishing in 2018.