Dear Gillian...

My Sweet Baby Girl,

Today, as your Father and I present you before the Church and congregation for your baptism, I want you to know how much you are loved. The moment your Father and I learned that we would be welcoming you into our lives, we prayed thanking God for blessing us with a child---with you. In our daily prayers we ask God for guidance as your parents and we pray for you. We pray that God may watch over and protect you. We pray that as you grow you will feel and always know the extent of the love that surrounds you. We pray that you will find comfort in your family and in God, knowing that through Him all things are possible. We pray that you become a strong young lady, confident in who you are. We pray that by growing up in a Christian home, you will one day leave the home armed with an unwavering morality that will enable you to resist the many temptations of a sometimes harsh world. We pray that that you will develop a faith all of your own and show others by your acts what it means to be a true believer in Jesus Christ.

There are so many people that care, pray, and love you, Gillian. Your Father and I are blessed to have such wonderful and caring family and friends helping us to raise you as a strong Christian. We are also blessed to have found a Church home at Dauphin Way. Long before you were born, your Father and I felt the love and support from the Church congregation. Pastor Gorman was one your first visitors in the hospital the day after you were born. As the years pass, we hope that you grow to love our Church as much as your Father and I do.

Although you will not remember this morning's ceremony, I hope that you will one day find peace knowing that your Father and I dedicated you to God and that you are his child first. God has honored us by allowing us to be your parents. Standing with you today, we couldn't feel more proud of you, our lil' Gillybean. You have given our lives meaning and are in our every thought, every minute, of every hour, of every day.

Gillian Grace, we love you!

XOXO,
Mom