{...a breezy life} at briemarisa.com

I have been away from my blog for awhile, and as always when I don't get a chance to write, I missed the easy release I get from putting my words down on paper on the internet. OF course, sometimes the release isn't as easy as other times, and that's usually when I find myself not blogging- when I have so much on my mind that I don't know where to start.

So I'll start at the end and go backwards. That won't be confusing at all, right? ;-)

This past Saturday was an amazingly special day for a few reasons- it was PJ's 7-month birthday (my baby is 7 months old!!!) and it was also his baptism! It's so secret that I'm not Catholic (or even Christian, for that matter. I'm Jewish), but my husband is, and I know how much it meant to him to see his son baptised. I can only imagine, after a lifetime of fulfilling the sacraments of his church, what it was like for Pete to have his son blessed in this way.

Pete's Uncle Vince performed the ceremony (he also married Pete and I, along with the sweet and adorable Cantor Ellie Shaffer) and he could not have created a more special way of blessing our son! All of his cousins took part in the readings and we were surrounded by family, all of whom were eager to shower their love on our Boy!

Plus? My sweet Boy looked Hand.Some! He was sooooooo sweet in the outfit his Aunt Shelly gifted him! The only problem was that the air conditioning wasn't on in the church, and PJ tolerates the heat about as well as his father (which is terrible) so he was feeling kind of melty and not his usual bouncy self! Still, the heat aside, PJ looked adorable!! After the ceremony, we all retired to Pete's parent's house, as they were gracious enough to host the party! The adults mingled while the kids enjoyed the kiddie pools in an attempt to keep cool! The food was yummy, the company was even better, and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time!

Still, PJ's baptism brought up alot of emotions for me. I know that there are people who might not have positive things to say about the baptism of our son. In fact, I know that there are people out there who had nasty things to say or felt a certain kind of way about my son's baptism. Look, I won't even pretend that it wasn't a bit strange for me- it's not something that has ever been a part of my belief system or upbringing. But my upbringing is only one half of what came together to create my son, and his father's upbringing and beliefs are just as valid and important. PJ's baptism was more then just the performance of a sacrament of the church, it was his official welcome party into a whole network of people who love him. In a few weeks, PJ will receive his Hebrew name and will enter the same kind of welcoming. There are two very different sides to PJ's story, but they both deserve to be told. And even more then that, despite all of the difference, the main theme was one of love. My son is very, very loved and because of that he is very, very blessed, and that is all that matters. I feel very sorry for anyone who can't see that- it must be a terrible kind of emptiness that is keeping them from understanding. Someday, my son will learn an important lesson in life- you can't please everybody. But that's one of life's more harsh lessons, and in the meantime, I'll do my damnedest to make sure he's only surrounded by love.

PJ with his Mama, Daddy, and his Godparents!