Bless the Child

My dear friends Marian and Nelson baptized their second daughter, Ella Vicki Rhodes, this morning at Orange United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. I almost never go to church, in fact the last time I went was for Sydney's baptism in March of this year, but I usually enjoy myself on my rare Sundays of worship. Today was no exception.

The church was quaint and pretty modern for one built in 1832! The sermon was delivered by Rev. Arthur Trout, who was visiting from Cape Town, South Africa. Afterwards, some of the messages offered by the Senior Pastor were a little over the top for me, but not so much that I was put off. Of course as I was exiting the church, he stopped me to thank me for my attendance. His gratitude was so sincere that I felt a touch guilty for internally gasping at some of his comments during the service.

But anyway, I'm neglecting the point of this post - Miss Ella! Especially for a six-month-old, she was so well-behaved during the entire service. Too bad our seats were near the back, meaning that I got more shots of the back of folks' heads than anything else. This first photo shows Ella with the Senior Pastor, D. Ray Warren. Be sure to notice Nelson on the left, beaming with pride, smiling ear to ear. (You'll have to click on the image to enlarge it to really be able to see Nelson).



After the service, I joined the family and friends for brunch at 411 West on Franklin Street. In attendance: Marian and Nelson, along with Katie and Ella; Rachael and her kids Ethan and Anna; Marian's mom and dad; and Nelson's father and girlfriend.

Photo of Rachael and Anna below:




Photo of Ella in standard pose - thumb in mouth with other hand on top. I feel she is either blocking her embarrassing thumb-sucking habit or blocking outsiders from removing said thumb.



Ethan, Katie and Anna were almost exclusively entertained by throwing pennies into the fountain on the patio, which gave the adults some time to catch up. At the conclusion of a delightful meal, we eventually all met up at the Rhodes' place for cake - a delicious cake - one made of all organic ingredients by the wonderful Weaver Street Market.



After cake, Marian's parents, Rachael and I launched into a series of conversations about pets, home intruders, coyotes, overindulgence and lessons in guns and ammo. Hilarious tales all around.

Just prior to leaving, I asked Marian to take a photo of me and the "blessed child." Ella is truly an angel baby in every way!