All About the Dress?

Today's musing is about my love-hate relationship with tradition....

A little backstory....
    We have this dress....  a baptismal gown, really...
   My mom was baptized in it
     All my siblings were baptized in it
    Some of my children were baptized in it
      And some of the nieces and nephews and grands...

I say some.....

  My girls - all three of them

But when the boys came along.... things had changed.  Baptisms are no longer private affairs.  They are held at specific times of the year.  White garments had to come off and be put back on wet babies.

My boys grew fast.

My older son outgrew the gown before we could get him baptized.

I remember the family pain and angst on that momentous occasion because
        a) I didn't do my job in time (get him baptized sooner)
        b) my mom was so unhappy he didn't wear the gown

I bought him a lovely white 'boyish' baptismal outfit and things proceeded as they needed to...

But I remember the cloud of sadness over the event

Because he wasn't wearing the right clothes.

Really?

A joyous occasion marred by breaking tradition.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

My poor daughter is in that spot now....

 ....with a gown from our family....
      and a gown from her husband's
         and a living older relative to appease (btw that is NOT me :-)

Truth?

Shining truth?

This is her infant SON'S moment.....  albeit one he will never remember!

The gown?  Honestly irrelevant except for a photo.

The relationships?  To be preserved.

Honor the living.  My daughter will navigate this relational matter with grace.

But we all need to remember

JOY!

A dress should not be more important

than the JOY of this personal celebration.

God is LOVE.....
.... and LOVE is not about a dress.
   
     It is about people.