Today Whitney made a choice to follow the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She chose to be baptized. What a beautiful day! Words cannot express the thoughts, feelings and emotions I felt today. It was wonderful to have so many family members and friends witness her special day. I couldn't help but think back to when she was just a baby in her blessing dress. Now here she is dressed in white in her baptism dress. The next time she will be all dressed in white will be on her wedding day.
I took Whitney to the temple grounds to have her baptism pictures taken. Whitney loves the temple and talks about it a lot. She was so excited to be going to the temple to have her pictures taken. She was disappointed when she realized that we were taking pictures outside and not going inside the temple. She always asks me when she can go inside and what it looks like. However, her eyes lit up when she saw a bride getting her pictures taken too. She said "Look mom, she got married in the temple". Whitney's favorite Primary song is "I Love To See The Temple". This song was sang today at her baptism. It brought tears to my eyes. As it was being sung I thought about how much she loves the temple and wants to go inside and be married there. I hope to one day see her in her third white dress inside the temple.
Here is a poem that I really liked and put in her baptism book:
Daughter of a king,
born of royalty.
Sent to earth to learn and grow,
a light for all to see.
You'll take many little steps along the path of life,
some are full of happiness, others full of strife.
But remember God is always there,
his blessings he send to you.
He wants you to be clean and pure
and keep your covenants true.
May the white be a reminder to stay unspotted, pure and clean,
For you are born of royalty,
the daughter of a king.
The most memorable part of the day was watching her step into the font. My mom was sitting next to me and as John raised his hand and spoke the baptismal words my mom grabbed onto my arm and pulled me close. She had a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. This was a special moment for me because my mom has been inactive since I got married. I know she felt the spirit. I watched as my daughter's sins were washed away and she became clean and pure.
After she was baptized we were taken into a room where she was confirmed and given the gift of the holy ghost. The room was full of family and friends. Everyone wrote and little something special that was put into a book for her. Then we took some pictures and headed back to our house for a special luncheon in her honor where she opened gifts people brought for her. The look on her face when she opened her own set of scriptures from mom and dad was priceless! She was so excited to finally have her very own scriptures!
I am proud of her and the decision she has made to follow in the footsteps of Christ. I pray and hope she will always stay on the right path and hold to the rod. I fear I have not done my best as a mother to prepare her for baptism and teach her about the importance of it and the covenants we make. I can only do my best here on out by being a good example to her.
