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God Bless Grace BAPTISM CELEBRATES BABY’ S RELIGIOUS WELCOMING WRITTEN BY LAURA ADAMS STIANSEN PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JUSTIN FRIEDMAN
Onabeautiful, sunny day in May, Iheld my daughter as she was blessedwith holy water and welcomedinto the Catholic Church. It was avery special day formeasI watched my daughter take in everything around her – the stained glass windows, the voice of the Father who would baptize her, and the glowing candle lit by her godparents.
Cradled in my arms, she smiled at our friends and family gathered in the church. Not afan of the three splashes of water on her head, her tears quickly stopped as Isoothed her with awhisper of,“ You’ re OK.”
Ididn’ trealize how much Ivalue traditionuntil Ihad afamily of my own. My daughter wore
CHURCH St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Glen Ridge
LUNCHEON Nauna’ s Bella Casa, Montclair
CAKE Shop Rite, Bloomfield
FLOWERS Oakland Giant Farmers Market, Oakland
VASES A. C. Moore, Clifton
the same baptism dress that Iwore when Iwas alittle girl. Icried the first time she tried it on. She was my beautiful little angel.
Grace’ sgodparents – myhusband’ ssister and bestfriend – are important to us, so we were glad they were part of this special day in our daughter’ s life.
WhetherGrace grows up to immerse herself in the churchornot, Ican only hope that she will grow into akind, thoughtful, generous humanbeing. Ihope she lives up to her name. ●
SAY THANK YOU THE RIGHT WAY Guests can enjoy abottle of your own specially made wine and remember the reason for celebrating. Your Own Winery in Riverdale offers wine lovers the ability to make their own wine, selected from more than 50 flavors. This sangria features a custom-designed label from Etsy.
36 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 |( 201) FAMILY