The Life of Bon: Blessing Day

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Blessing Day

Sunday was June's blessing day.

I have had a few people ask me what it means to bless a baby in the LDS church, so heck, why not, let's clear it up, shall we?

One of the fundamental beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (we're often known as Mormons) is that we all enter this world free from sin.  We are perfect when we're born, and therefore, don't need to be baptized at birth.  At the age of eight, children can start to be baptized if they wish.  We believe eight to be the age of accountability- an age where children clearly know the difference between right and wrong.

Although we do not baptize our babies, we do give a formal blessing to our babies.  The purpose of the blessing is to officially give the baby a name and, well, a blessing.  It is essentially a prayer- a blessing usually of health, happiness, and love.  Our reasoning for blessings comes from this scripture: 

 “Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name” (D&C 20:70)

The baby is often blessed in front of the church congregation, although it can be blessed in a home, hospital, anywhere really.  A lot of parents will dress their babies in white, but again, it's not necessary- it's just a special prayer given for the baby to God, and I suspect God doesn't much care what we're wearing when we pray. (Any questions on blessings or Mormon beliefs in general I would be happy to answer in the comments.)

Greg gave June her blessing on Sunday.  June fussed right up until the moment the blessing started and you better believe I was a nervous wreck that  she was just going to scream through the whole thing.  Then, as if she sensed it were something important, she shut completely up just long enough to receive the blessing.  Four minutes of total silence from her, and then as soon as it was over, more fussing.  She threw a fit for a good five minutes, and then fell asleep hard and fast for the rest of the meeting.

Greg's parents came for the blessing as did most of my siblings, my mom, and a couple of close friends.  It was a beautiful blessing and the spirit was strong.  I felt so surrounded by love and peace.  These are the days you live for, you know?

On the way home from the blessing, Greg and I were talking about how surprised we were by the power of the blessing.  We knew it'd be a special event, but I guess the incredibly strong spirit during the blessing kind of caught us off guard.  I think we get so caught up in the day to day, the work, the groceries, the errands, the monotony of every day, and then something like this hits us and we take a step back and realize that this, THIS is what it's all about.  Everything we do in life is for moments like these.  Regardless of your personal religious beliefs, I think we can all agree that family makes life worth living.

Afterward, we celebrated at our place with lots of good food.  Because let's face it, the only thing that makes hanging out with your family that much better is a terrific meal.

And now, pictures.



^^ My newlywed cousins waiting for dinner.  Texting each other?

^^ As close as we could get to the whole gang.  Don't mind the water jug front and center.

^^ Greg's folks.


^^ We are currently couchless.  It worked out nicely for Sunday- all we had to do was move tables in and we had our own little restaurant going.  It was perfect for that day, but I'd like my couches now, thanks.

^^Selfies.  June is already a million times more photogenic than me.


^^ Please don't mind the book shelf and pictures all over the floor.  We are obviously still not entirely moved in.  One day at a time, people.

^^ Big stretch.


^^ Have you ever seen anything so great as June's face in this picture?

27 comments:

  1. Priceless! I love the one of you two laying on the carpet. Wish soooooo bad I could have been there. James cried through his whole baby blessing. It was the worst. And there was no microphone. So, you couldn't hear Ben, just the screaming... it was like a rushed prayer… kind of wanted a do over. Em didn't get blessed until she was 6 months old! And C was a normal blessing, at Beck's house.

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    1. Miss you Mindy! Wish you could have been there.

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  2. June's expressions are THE best.

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  3. Oh goodness.... her dress, her headband, matching pearl bracelet like her Mommy's..... adorable.

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    1. Yes, I may be a tad bit obsessed with dressing her...

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  4. June did the exact opposite of what my niece did... she was quiet before the blessing, cried through the whole thing, and then the moment her dad said "Amen" she stopped crying. Literally, THE moment he said it. The congregation got a kick out of that. Anyways, that last picture... priceless.

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    1. Oh man, I would have been so stressed out!

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  5. Wow--had not heard LDS beliefs as far as newborns being free from sin. I guess you must have other sources than the Bible for your understanding, since it's pretty clear from there that every person is born in a sinful condition from which we need salvation through Jesus. I wonder how LDS explain why, sadly, some babies die, if they are born "perfect".

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    1. You are right, we do have other sources than the bible. We use the bible, but we also believe the Book of Mormon to be a book of scripture and our belief that children are born without sin comes from the Book of Mormon. We believe that the Bible and Book of Mormon work together- they are companions and support one another. We do all need salvation through Jesus, I agree, but Latter Day Saints do not believe that children are born with this sin. We believe that babies who die before the age of eight are saved- they have committed no sin.

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  6. Anonymous11:17 AM

    The pic of you and June on the rug is so adorable! She looks like she is totally posing for mom and baby selfie. Love it!

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    1. Yep, she's mastering the selfie early!

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  7. I love her dress; it's beautiful! What a nice day!

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  8. Oh my goodness, she is absolutely precious! What a beautiful baby!

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  9. I'd say that your face is pretty great in the last photo too! Thanks for sharing.

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  10. I have never heard of this and think it is a bloody great idea and have to say that selfie is bloody great you have one beautiful baby

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    1. Ha! Thank you, Jo-Anne, I appreciate that!

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  11. Beautiful baby and mommy! One random question... Does the father usually do the blessing? (if so, how sweet :))

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    1. Typically the father does give the blessing, provided he is a worthy priesthood holder/ in good standing with the church. If he is not, another family member (uncle, grandfather), close friend or church leader might be asked to give the blessing.

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  12. Yay! Blessings are the best, and it sounds like June was very spiritually present for hers - the best! I see that you had ham AND funeral potatoes!! Wow, our guests just got chicken salad sandwiches and fruit. I bet my husband would have liked to have the funeral potatoes waaaay more! June is darling, good work!

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  13. Aw, yay for June's blessing. :) Sounds like a great day and time was had. HA, love her expressions. Great picture of you two on the floor.

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  14. I love how clearly annoyed June is in that last one! And I really love how often your family is able to get together :)

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  15. Where did you get your corner bookshelf? I love it and am expecting I may need something in my new house since the living room is a little on the smaller side.

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  16. I swear, your kid is the best. And that's not something I say about kids. But oh man her faces. she's just the best.

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  17. Blessing days are the best! It is so wonderful to be surrounded by family {and friends} at such a special time! Family definitely does make life worth living! Also, your sweet girl is SO ADORABLE!

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  18. That bracelet on her little wrist is just too sweet! She's the cutest thing! Beautiful photos!

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  19. That bracelet and headband---she is beautiful Bon!!!! And that selfie of you two is so precious!!

    Brianna

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  20. The selfie of you & June is adorable!!!

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