Edward's Baptism

Turning eight-years old as a mormon is the first rite of passage, as he or she can now enter the waters of baptism and become an official member of the church. Edward has teetered back-and-forth about whether he wanted to be baptized or not. I would not force him to do it; and while he probably doesn't grasp exactly what baptism means, he needed to make the final decision.

You can rarely predict the Edward. Nay, not even Edward can predict himself. But he and I sat down, discussed his concerns, practiced what would happen, and all seemed well. He even talked with the Bishop for at least 15 minutes without issue--at least neither reported any to me (it was a private interview).

Edward's cousin Andrew, who lives in Springfield, also turned eight in April, so we arranged to baptize the two boys together (in Milwaukie) so that more family could attend. I should say Meg managed most of the arrangements, which included a nice party afterwards, and which many of the attendees commented to me how great it was. My mother was also able to fly into town for the event, as did Meg's parents.