A child of God

Benjamin's baptism was yesterday. Such a beautiful ceremony. Even if he's three years old - more than two years over the typical age for baptism in the episcopal church. :)
I've been talking to him about the big day all week, telling him what a special day it was, that God loves him, and that Jesus does, too. I also told him that after "big church" we would go downstairs to the undercroft to get cake at the reception. Not only did Benjamin here me say "cake", but he also heard "Star Wars" somewhere between the lines. "Wawars cake?" he asked me a thousand times. "Wawars cake? Luke cake?" Jodie, one of his godparents, suggested it could be a Luke cake, you know, from the gospels. Hardly Luke Skywalker. But I let Benjamin believe whatever he wanted. It was his cake, after all.
I was so proud of Benjamin during church. The priest actually asked him if he wanted to be baptised and, nodding his head, he very quietly said, "uh-huh". So sweet. Then I asked him if he wanted me to carry him to the baptismal font at the rear of the church of walk. "Walk," he declared and held my hand all the way back. He chatted the whole time Larry was blessing the water. "I see wawa, I see wawa, I see wawa." Over and over and over. Finally, when the time came to see the water, I held him over the basin as Larry dipped a small shell into the water and gently poured it over his head three times. By the last time, Benjamin was over the whole thing, crying (not wailing, thankfully) and emphatically saying, "BA WAWA! BA WAWA!" Over and over and over.
Regardless, Benjamin's official now. I believe God always had him marked as his from the beginning. What child isn't? But now it's truly official. And I'm sure Benjamin noticed the difference. When we went to the communion rail and knelt for the Lord's Supper, Benjamin held his little hands out together, copying what he had seen me, Curt and his brother do countless times. And this time the priest placed a small wafer into his hands. Benjamin smiled and looked at me. "Mommy, I did it! I did it!"
Yes, Benjamin, with God's help, you did it.