Dedication

Earlier this year, I wanted to go through the process of dedicating Kalissa at our church, The Rock.  A dedication is not a baptism, it's just Daddy and I making a commitment to raise her with God in her heart and a promise that we will live our lives as an example for her.  In order to participate in The Rock's Dedication Ceremony, we were required to complete a 5-week parenting course that is given at our church.  We had never had any 'formal' training on child rearing and didn't really know what to expect.  The course turned out to be very informative and helpful to us.  We found out that we are on the right track with a lot of what we're doing and how we are disciplining Kalissa and we also found areas where we can improve and most importantly, learned how we could improve these areas.

Last Sunday, 10/7/12, was the day of the Dedication and in preparation, we had to write a speech to Kalissa and read it to her during the ceremony.  I was a bit nervous about doing that because I'm not very good at public speaking and Daddy said I had to participate in the reading.  *sigh*

The ceremony was not held in The Rock.  Instead, it was at the historic North Chapel on Liberty Station which is just a few yards away. 

The Woods family drove down to witness the ceremony which started at noon.  The church was filled to capacity with the friends and family of the 30 or so children who were being dedicated along with Kalissa.  One look at the program and we realized that we were 2nd to dead last due to the order of progression being alphabetical by last name.  *aye yi yi*  How were we going to keep this girl still and quiet for about an hour so close to her nap time??  The answer was, we weren't.  *lol*  She ended up dancing in the aisles and going from my lap to Daddy's lap and back again over and over.  Good thing this was a childrens' event or I would have been straight embarrassed!!  I shouldn't have even cared because babies were crying and most of the kids were just as antsy or asleep, so she was in good company....but she should still act like she has home training whenever we are out.

Pastor Darren Carrington, The Rock's Marriage and Family Pastor, lead the ceremony.  Finally, it was our turn and Daddy took charge, like the head of the household that he is : )   He didn't make me say a word which allowed me to stand by his side like the obedient wife that I am  *tee hee* while he read our speech to her:

Lord, thank you for blessing us with Kalissa.  We are very fortunate that you chose us to be her parents.  We pray that You will continue to bless us with the wisdom and patience needed to raise her, and guide her to the path that you have prepared for her.  She has truly been a blessing to us in every way and we will do everything in our power to raise her according to Your Word, and allow her to grow and be a blessing to others.

Kalissa........ your mother and I will always be here for you.  We have made the choice to participate in this dedication ceremony to announce before God and everyone here, that we are dedicated to raising you according to God's teachings.  Your mother and I want the very best for you and will continually strive to equip you with every tool that you will need to succeed.  In addition to our family, we have chosen your God family to help provide you with examples of love and family bonds.  We promise to live our lives as a model for you to know love, respect, and Godly obedience.  Our sincerest hope for you, is that as you grow, your relationship with God grows, always keeping Him first in your heart and mind. 

Your mother and I love you very much.     

Instead of taking in the words, Kalissa was entirely focused on the microphone that Daddy was talking in to.  She kept leaning over and saying "whuuut" into it, which everyone got a kick out of.  *lol*  When Daddy was finished she asked, "What about me??"  Again, lots of laughs from the crowd.  She's just a ham!

I like how Ariel captured the photo of him helping me down the stairs.  He's such a good hubby and a great example for Kali of the type of man she should look for in about 30 years!!!

After the ceremony we all had lunch at a Japanese buffet...all you can eat sushi, dim sum, noodles, rice, etc. etc. etc. 

The perfect ending for a perfect day!