Entry #1-- 1.13.08-Evelyn and Reece

This morning I had the joy of worshiping at Platte Woods at the 9:30 service. Adding to the experience of hearing the good word from S. Breon and the wonderful Walter Bryant combo, was the fact that Evelyn and Brian Evans sat next to me. I first knew Evelyn because her father was a member of the Broadway church and came for quite a long time even though he could not hear a thing. He always called me honey. I really don't mind it when men over 80 call me honey, at least when his name was Elliott.

Anyway, when the Evans' came in, Evelyn had a little something extra in her arms---a baby..about eight (?) months old, and a baby that I recognized---Reece Herndon. I myself had held Reece in my arms on New Years Day at S. Vogel's open house. She is an exquisitely beautiful baby---and very very sweet. Evelyn told me that she had told one of her parents (Alan is the lay leader there---and Dean of Students at Saint Paul of course) that that baby belonged in worship so Evelyn brought her in. Evelyn and I were whispering back and forth--she told me that she always had brought her grandchildren to worship---I told her that I thought children only learned to worship by being in worship. I kept sneaking peeks of Reece during the service--there was only one 20 second moment of fussing during the hour...and after she got her pacifier back in, and went to sleep she was fine. I am a firm believer that parenting (or grandparenting) does not stop at the sanctuary door. I used to be somewhat of an "authority" on all of this...wrote for the UM publishing house and did workshops at national events. Today, I just enjoyed myself sitting next to the little girl and her surrogate grandmother that undoubtedly had, over the many years of her membership at Platte Woods, repeated those words from the baptismal service, about "being there" (my paraphrase) for the parents and child being baptized and to grow him/her up in the faith by being an example. And that sleeping babe reminded me again of how God yearns for all of us to rest so peacefully in his love, and somehow, that rest is a sign of praise...being so assured of God's love for us that we can sleep easy in his presence.