Dear Soren,
You were given a name and a blessing on February 3, 2008. You were six weeks old.
I don't think I will ever forget that morning. I thought everything was going to be perfect. In the end, it was, but it didn't start out that way.
Half-an-hour before church, everything was ready. Scott and I were dressed, my Sunday School lesson was prepared, and I was topping you off with a last-minute nursing, hoping to fill you up for the important event. You looked at me, unlatched, and puked everywhere. You were like a never-ending fountain of half-digested milk and we were covered in it. Instead of having a few leisurely minutes before the family arrived, now we both needed to re-bathe and re-dress. First you, before the adoring relatives arrived, then me while they were taking pictures.
We did make it to church, with so much family in tow. Grandma and Grandpa Berg, Grandma and Grandpa Duede, Aunt Kim, Great-Aunt Karen and Great-Uncle Mark, the honorary aunts Jennie and Monique (with her husband, Jason), Great-grandma and Great-grandpa Berg, and some of my cousins. They all came because they care about you.
You was so handsome in the blessing gown. It is a family heirloom. When Grandpa Duede gave a name and blessing to your father, he also wore that gown. It was made with love by your Great-grandma Duede. What a great tradition! I hope that your sons and daughters will be blessed in that gown, just as your brothers and sisters will be.
The blessing was beautiful. Your father and your grandfathers gathered around and held you in their arms. As I looked at the circle of earthly fathers, I knew that you were also the son of a Heavenly Father, and that the blessing you would receive was from Him. I am so grateful that our Father in Heaven gave Scott the priesthood power so that he could be the hands that blessed you.
From your earthly parents, you received a name. From your Heavenly Parents, you received a blessing. It was beautiful and powerful. These are some of the things that were included:
You were blessed with the gift of introspection, or the ability to look into your own heart and find ways to improve yourself and help others.
You were blessed with wisdom. I remember thinking of the song, "How Great the Wisdom and the Love" at the time. Wisdom is one of the divine characteristics of our Father in Heaven and it goes hand-in-hand with His love for His children. I hope that you will access that wisdom and love throughout your life because it will teach you charity, the greatest spiritual gift of God and the qualifying attribute of exalted beings.
Your father spoke of the pleasant circumstances into which you have been born. It is true that you have been given a double portion of temporal and spiritual blessings. You live at the pinnacle of civilization in one of the wealthiest nations in the world. In addtion, you have the fulness of the restored gospel to grow up with. You will learn the truths of God from your youth in your very own home. Your father and I are from the house of Ephraim and feel that you will be too. It is from the mighty lineage that these blessings flow. This makes it your responsibility to take care of God's less fortunate children.
To accomplish this, you were blessed with a willing heart that will reach out to others. Just as your Father in Heaven has blessed you with immediate, temporal well-being, He has blessed His other children by sending you into the world, to help and lift them. He has given you the tools to be His hands.
You were blessed with the gift of agency. I do not fully understand the magnitude of this gift but I know that our Father in Heaven is devoted to protecting our agency above all else. Your father said, "This gift of agency is most precious above all others. It is your Heavenly Father's wish to bestow on you that you might use it to serve Him. This gift will open your eyes to the wonderful plan of salvation." God has given you the power to choose your own path. I hope you choose wisely. Choose the right. Choose to be honest. Choose to be kind. Choose to heed the Word of Wisdom. Choose to pray and to listen. Choose a worthy eternal companion. Choose to be sealed in the temple. Choose eternal life.
Love,
Your Mom
You were given a name and a blessing on February 3, 2008. You were six weeks old.
I don't think I will ever forget that morning. I thought everything was going to be perfect. In the end, it was, but it didn't start out that way.
Half-an-hour before church, everything was ready. Scott and I were dressed, my Sunday School lesson was prepared, and I was topping you off with a last-minute nursing, hoping to fill you up for the important event. You looked at me, unlatched, and puked everywhere. You were like a never-ending fountain of half-digested milk and we were covered in it. Instead of having a few leisurely minutes before the family arrived, now we both needed to re-bathe and re-dress. First you, before the adoring relatives arrived, then me while they were taking pictures.
We did make it to church, with so much family in tow. Grandma and Grandpa Berg, Grandma and Grandpa Duede, Aunt Kim, Great-Aunt Karen and Great-Uncle Mark, the honorary aunts Jennie and Monique (with her husband, Jason), Great-grandma and Great-grandpa Berg, and some of my cousins. They all came because they care about you.
You was so handsome in the blessing gown. It is a family heirloom. When Grandpa Duede gave a name and blessing to your father, he also wore that gown. It was made with love by your Great-grandma Duede. What a great tradition! I hope that your sons and daughters will be blessed in that gown, just as your brothers and sisters will be.
The blessing was beautiful. Your father and your grandfathers gathered around and held you in their arms. As I looked at the circle of earthly fathers, I knew that you were also the son of a Heavenly Father, and that the blessing you would receive was from Him. I am so grateful that our Father in Heaven gave Scott the priesthood power so that he could be the hands that blessed you.
From your earthly parents, you received a name. From your Heavenly Parents, you received a blessing. It was beautiful and powerful. These are some of the things that were included:
You were blessed with the gift of introspection, or the ability to look into your own heart and find ways to improve yourself and help others.
You were blessed with wisdom. I remember thinking of the song, "How Great the Wisdom and the Love" at the time. Wisdom is one of the divine characteristics of our Father in Heaven and it goes hand-in-hand with His love for His children. I hope that you will access that wisdom and love throughout your life because it will teach you charity, the greatest spiritual gift of God and the qualifying attribute of exalted beings.
Your father spoke of the pleasant circumstances into which you have been born. It is true that you have been given a double portion of temporal and spiritual blessings. You live at the pinnacle of civilization in one of the wealthiest nations in the world. In addtion, you have the fulness of the restored gospel to grow up with. You will learn the truths of God from your youth in your very own home. Your father and I are from the house of Ephraim and feel that you will be too. It is from the mighty lineage that these blessings flow. This makes it your responsibility to take care of God's less fortunate children.
To accomplish this, you were blessed with a willing heart that will reach out to others. Just as your Father in Heaven has blessed you with immediate, temporal well-being, He has blessed His other children by sending you into the world, to help and lift them. He has given you the tools to be His hands.
You were blessed with the gift of agency. I do not fully understand the magnitude of this gift but I know that our Father in Heaven is devoted to protecting our agency above all else. Your father said, "This gift of agency is most precious above all others. It is your Heavenly Father's wish to bestow on you that you might use it to serve Him. This gift will open your eyes to the wonderful plan of salvation." God has given you the power to choose your own path. I hope you choose wisely. Choose the right. Choose to be honest. Choose to be kind. Choose to heed the Word of Wisdom. Choose to pray and to listen. Choose a worthy eternal companion. Choose to be sealed in the temple. Choose eternal life.
Love,
Your Mom
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