This Date In History - Ups, Downs, and Angels

I can't believe it! It was a year ago today that Madeline was baptized. It seems like just yesterday, but looking at those pictures she looked like such a baby. That weekend was such a beautiful weekend. It was so emotional for me in many ways. First, all five of my siblings were in town along with one of David's siblings - all coming from a different state, I might add.

The weekend was a multi-purpose weekend. My siblings helped to empty out various items from my mom's home. (My mom passed away in May, only 18 days before leaving for Russia to adopt Madeline) Certainly, I am sure you can understand, even if you have never had to go through it, the emotional aspect of emptying your parents' home. Also, that weekend we held a service to put my Mom and Dad's cremains into their final resting place - again an emotional event. On the lighter side, my siblings and I attended a reunion for the grade school we all attended. It was so much fun to tour the old school (which has been closed for many years). It is fun to reminisce but sometimes nostalgia can be sad because it reminds us of something that has been lost forever.

Of course the baptism was an emotionally joyous occasion due to the Sacrament that Madeline was receiving. But again, the occasion was nostalgic because we had chosen to have Madeline baptized in my childhood parish, St. Gerard's, rather than my current parish because of the church's history. Not only was I baptized at St. Gerard's and it was my family's parish until 1988, but my grandfather and great uncle did much of the artwork inside of the church. But my greatest deciding factor to have the baptism there was that the church was to be closing at the end of the year (2007) as a result of the Buffalo Diocese's restructuring. This church, which was modeled after "St. Paul's Outside the Walls" in Rome, is so absolutely beautiful inside, but is now closed. There are, however, talks of moving the structure to Norcross, Georgia. At least, if that were to happen, the structure would find reuse as a house of worship as opposed to the inevitable decay as a vacant building on the East Side of Buffalo (but that is another story). Below are two photos of the interior of the church.Because the parish had only a few short months of existence left, my family was able to get a historic tour of the church after the baptismal mass. We were even allowed to take turns ringing the church bells on the church's massive bell tower. Afterward, we celebrated not only Madeline's baptism but also her 2nd birthday (1st with us) with a party at our house.

Despite the bitter-sweet events of the weekend, the "sweet" completely outweigh the "bitter". Despite the sadness that my mom was not there to witness this joyous occasion and the fact that a major transformation (motherhood) was occurring in the midst of mourning my mother, I know that I was being watched over by my mom and dad (and other angels). Look at the photos below. Check out the orb in the (top) photo with me, David and Madeline. In this picture, the three of us are standing in the room that used to be used for baptisms. This is the room where I was baptized. In the other photo (bottom) check out the jagged bird-shaped white figure that is hovering near me and Madeline as we ring the church's bell tower. There were several similar photos taken of various family members ringing the bells yet this is the only one that had such an image. Neither of these photos were altered in any way.

So, I am discussing this as Halloween is upon us. Eerie? Some might consider it to be. Yet, I find it comforting that we were being looked upon during such an important time. During a weekend that was filled with emotional ups and downs, we were not alone. Eerie? No! Instead, I would rather say hopeful.