The Saturday before Easter, Heather, along with her cousin Rachel, was baptized. I don't think there could be a more fitting time to be baptized than Easter weekend. With the celebration of the Savior's resurrection, we had a celebration of rebirth and covenants. It was a beautiful day. Heather is blessed to have her birthday this time of year. She was actually blessed on Easter Sunday, with the timing of the calendar system, she was lucky enough to be baptized on Easter weekend. As she gets older, I'm sure this time of year will be very special for her. Not only did the holiday-time make it special, but she was also able to be baptized with her cousin.
Heather and Rachel were born two weeks apart. Their personalities are so similar, it's like kindred spirits that chose to come as closely together as they could. Rachel's mother and I will share stories about them and we'll just laugh as we comment, "that's just like Heather" or "that's just like Rachel." When they were younger they actually looked a lot like sisters. The girls were very excited to get baptized together and we had fun planning it. I got to go up and take pictures of the two girls a few weeks before the baptism. They were so cute as they posed together and separately. They talked about how excited they were to get baptized, showed each other their dresses, and gazed on the Logan Temple in awe. It was a great experience, taking them both and sharing that time with them.
When the day came to be baptized, we met at Rachel's house before going to the Church. Rachel and Heather ran around sharing stories of getting ready and gifts they'd been given. You could tell they were very excited. At the Church, they sat next to each other as they listened to the talk on baptism, then the children were divided into their respective wards to be baptized. Rachel and Heather actually got to go first. Rachel's bishop was very kind and gave them some wise counsel. He advised them to take it slow and think about the feelings and thoughts they were experiencing, don't be in a rush. Rachel was baptized first by her father. Heather got to stand out and watch her. Then Heather was baptized by her father. Rachel was invited to stand at the top of the stairs in the font to watch Heather. When they were finished, Elizabeth and I joined them in the bathroom to help them change. They giggled and talked about how they felt as they changed their clothes. Soon we met with everyone in the Relief Society Room where they were to be confirmed. Elizabeth and I had been asked to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. We took turns sharing with the girls different gifts that represented ways that the Holy Ghost helps us. Then the girls were confirmed by their fathers. Each dad gave a beautiful blessing. After that there was a lot of hugging and picture taking. The two girls were radiant! They did mention, however, that their faces hurt from too much smiling.
The gathering then moved to Rachel's home where we had some lunch. Elizabeth did a great job pulling it all together. Everything was delicious and, of course, their home is beautiful and a fun place to be. The kids were all sad when it was time to leave. It was a wonderful day for everyone.
