Chrism and Grace

Yesterday, Little Bear received the sacrament of baptism. I think I've been holding my breath all month, waiting for the blessed reassurance that, God forbid, if anything happened to Little Bear, he has been baptized and received the life of sanctifying grace in his soul. There was certainly a sense of profound relief as we left the church after Mass!

Fr. Fath does not skimp on chrism: as he anointed Little Bear "priest, prophet and king," the three crosses he traced stretched from the back fontanelle to his forehead! The scent of chrism (a blessed oil containing balsam, ginger, pepper, and wine) is still markedly present, and will likely linger for several days.

Our celebrations continue today, as Matt and I wonder at a year gone so quickly:  Today is our first wedding anniversary.  We are fortunate enough to have the whole day together, since he has to work this coming Saturday, and are planning a leisurely drive to a hot spring an hour and a half northeast of town.  Not sure yet if we will wind up getting in the water or just doing some hiking in the area, but either will be fun!  If Little Bear is cooperative, maybe we will stop for dinner at a local brewery on our way back into town.

A year ago today, I couldn't have imagined that we would be here on our first anniversary: Matt going to work while I stay home to keep house, cook, and take care of finances, and a one-month-old little boy making goat noises as he naps next to me.  If someone had painted this picture for me that morning as my sisters, college roommate, and I got ready for the wedding, I would have laughed in disbelief: we had plans, and being a single-income family with a child before our first anniversary was not a part of those plans.  God has better plans than we can ever design for ourselves, though, and I am certain that our first year has gone so well, has been so filled with grace, because we were open to God completely rewriting our plan!  It truly has been a wonderful, blessed year, better than we ever imagined.