At Sydney’s Christening, April 1936

They say that none of us ever has an original thought – that in the long, long eons that humans have existed, there is nothing really ‘new’ under the sun.  I’m not too sure about that, especially now that we have entered the age of techno-everything.  But, there are some things that seem to be a repeat or at least an echo of what might have once been considered a unique experience.

Take, for instance, the baptism that is happening in the church this afternoon…  When the pleasant sounding gentleman called me yesterday to see if he could make the arrangements, I had an almost déjà vu experience.  He and his family are visiting the area, he told me, and he is a minister.  (I don’t know what denomination, but I sort of assumed Baptist.)  He asked if it might be possible to use the church for a few minutes today so that he might baptize his great-grandchild.

Bingo!  That’s when nostalgia and sentiment overtook me.  My great-grandfather, William Woods (my father’s maternal grandfather) was a Methodist minister and, in April 1936, he christened me.  Of course, that was in Boston, not in Oysterville.  It happened in April, not August.  1936 not 2013.  And I was christened, not baptized.  But still…

The telephone caller and I chatted awhile and, as we did so, more similarities unfolded.  Yes, the great-grandchild involved is a girl.  And, like me, she was born in February.  Plus, great-grandpa and I turned out to be ‘of an age’ – he being a year younger than I.

I felt a warm glow as the arrangements were completed.  Granted, the Oysterville Church isn’t a Boston living room and Baptist isn’t Methodist, but a great-grandpa baptizing his great-granddaughter transcends all of that, at least in my mind.  I hope they take lots of pictures and that the little girl grows old cherishing the ‘memory’ as have I.  Blessings to them…