A Baptism, A Birthday, and Forever

Ryan turned 8 last Saturday.

That means that today, being Stake Baptism Day, he got to be baptized.

It was great to have Greg's dad here to participate. 7-1/2 years ago, Erica was our first to reach the baptism milestone. The possibility of the then 6-month-old Ryan ever being old enough to be baptized was a blurry dot somewhere in the far distant future. Well, 7-1/2 years, 3 other child baptisms, 2 states, and 5 moves later, the day has finally come. And, as a little tender mercy, it happened to fall on the birthday of my grandpa, Charles Maurice Woffinden. He would have been 98 today. Someday I will scan in the pictures I have and post one of him. He was a great person who gave me my love of meteorology and family history. Ryan's middle name is Charles, after him. Grandpa died the month before I found out I was pregnant with Ryan. His original due date was June 2, just 4 days before Grandpa's birthday. I had at one time thought it would be neat to have him born on June 6, but things didn't work out that way. Close, but not quite. We'll take this, instead. How grateful I am for Ryan, the choice he made, and the fact that we will be a family forever. I am also so grateful for my parents, grandparents, and those who came before. As another part of my family, their choices and lives played a big part in who and where Ryan is today. And, while Ryan never met Grandpa here on earth, chances are they met before and will do so again after. Thank Heaven for The Plan and that one end is really just another beginning in the great continuum called eternity. Small steps here add up to endless possibilities in the hereafter. Heaven, with my family, will be a great place to be.