Oh, Those Crazy Religious Things...

Today we went to a Christening (this is the exact same thing as a Baptism, so if you are thinking that there is a difference... well, there isn't. At least that I could see). It was my second Christening, and thankfully I don't see too many of those in my future. Not that it was so terrible, but you know me... religious ceremonies are not my area of comfort. It is another strange religious thing that I just don't really get on a deep-down, I-understand-why-people-do-this level. The first we went to was last summer for Bea and Rich's daughter, Jess. It was not bad - fairly short and right to the point. We also did not sit through the whole liturgy. However, it was something fairly non-denominational. This Christening today was Byzantine Catholic, and you know those Catholics... there is no end to the amount of pomp and ceremony they will throw into a basic thing.

This was a beautiful ceremony in that the priest and congregation sing a lot of the words, not like Roman Catholics, who merely repeat every thing in a monotone. The inside of the chapel was very ornate and there was a lot of gold - not necessarily real gold - there is very little of that floating around in these things - but it was meant to look like gold. Nothing plain in this place. And Father Marcel is priceless. As with Tom and Alayna's wedding in September of 2004, this was a fun and funny thing, as he can't help but be funny. But he also was serious when warranted and did all the ceremonial stuff too.

It started in the church and then quickly moved to the back of the church and there was a whole lot of stuff about the devil. Amazing - it was really very much an exorcism... I did not think that they went in for that sort of thing, but they do. Oh, it was really something! Not only did he excise the devil from Matthew, he really went the whole nine yards to make sure that all the participants renounced Satan! Most Catholics I know aren't that hung up on Satan.

Well, OK! That went on for close to ten minutes and then I snuck in ahead of the participants to get more photos as they came down the aisle to the... special table in the middle of the front area. (I'm sure that there is a special name for this, but for the life of me I can't think what it might be). It had a couple of ornate candle holders with white tapers in them, a little gold bowl with a handle (I'm guessing that this was the holy water vessel) and a book and some other things. The god parents and parents stood around this table and the ceremony got to anointing the baby's head, eyes, nose, chin, chest, hands and feet. That is a whole lot of anointing, let me tell you - I always think of Christenings as something that you dribble some holy water on the infant's head and say a couple of quick signifigant but oft-said, memorized words and bang! You are on your way; apparently not. Then again, we are talking about Catholics... Well, this was amazing in that unlike Roman Catholics, this is one-stop shopping - there is no separate First Communion or Confirmation! They like to roll it all into one thing! How cool is that? Not that I have been to either of these things (who would invite me, the Wiccan, to such ordeals?) but I am not in any hurry to go - unless my closest friends ask me to attend.

Well, by 12:30 we were done and all I could think was that this was two hours of my life that I will never get back! Not that I didn't want to be there for something that is hugely important to Tom and Alayna, but there is only so much of this kind of stultifying, boring activity that any one person can handle. It was ghastly long and there were a gazillion kids in there. And you know what a bad combo me and children are.

After that we went out to the restaurant and ate (and ate, and ate, and ate) and everyone chatted with everyone else and got all caught up, which was really nice. It was a lot like a wedding reception without the dancing (a pity, that, but I have yet to see dancing at a Christening), so it was a social occasion and there were people that we hadn't seen in a while, like Lee and Angela and their twins and Don, and the Schleifers and a lot of other people - especially Missy Maude!

Missy is an old friend of Alayna's, which was an enormous surprise and quite unexpected. Missy and I met at the wedding rehearsal and immediately liked each other. This is rare that I meet someone that I like so much right off the bat. She and I chatted through the whole rehearsal dinner and before and after the wedding. Instant friends. We are both very open and honest about our feelings, no hidden emotions, and earthy and not just a little evil and really! We just immediately got on so well! Alayna is nearly my complete opposite and so to find that one of her closest friends is someone who is a lot like me is shocking! (Alayna doesn't like to talk about sex or death, or like any of my ambulance tales; she is not one to ever say anything negative; she is very big into the close-knit family; that sort of opposite. I have no use for religion, I'm brutally honest, don't mind using colourful words, love my war stories and no topic is sacred when it comes to me!) I don't mean that we are really "evil" (people always take that the wrong way) but we are both totally irreverent about so many of the things that so many other people are totally hung up on.

So we promised we'd write after the wedding, which so rarely happens and this was no different - we hardly wrote at all. But about two or three weeks ago I wrote Missy a letter and then she wrote me an e-mail on Friday. She also writes a lot like me... The subject line read, "My arms fell off and other likely excuses for non-letter writing" - what does that tell you?

"So my dear Aisling...

I am on a plane to NJ at this very moment and brought your last letter, which - luckily - has your e-mail address. I am hoping that I will see you and Luis (I guess I won't see quite as much of either of you with the 60/10lb weight loss) at the christening? I am really looking forward to it!

I hope you get this prior to the big event so I can feel a little less guilty... And if not, this will do it - [private] - you'll be uniquer than ever. Is uniquer a word? Whatever. I have a friend who has a lab connection. It pays to be an ex-labbie sometimes.

OK - here is the part where I tell you - promise you - to write soon when I get back to MN. I so very much love to get a letter in the mail - and believe it or not, love to write them, too. I have a mail problem. I do things like buy gifts and leave them in the kitchen for months before I send them. Isn't there something about the thought that counts??

See you shortly - hope we can figure out how to sit together and yap

-Missy"

So I sent her a message entitled, "My Ambulance Battery Went Dead... and Other Not Creative Answers for Non-writing!"

"Hiya, Missy!

As it actually happens, the battery went dead last night after call #3 and did strand us at Morristown Memorial. But what about all that time prior to writing that letter? Not exactly flattering to my writing frequency either!

You were writing this while on the plane? Wow... technology has improved! You'll see us both, although the weight loss I had is likely back (and brought friends) but Luis really is half the man he used to be. Shocking. I guess turning 40 put the fear of early death into him.

I got this today around 1530 at work and was delighted to see it (especially after firing one nut and having two other ex-nuts stopping in). It has been a week of the bizarre, so it was nice to see a long e-mail from someone who is normal but special. You know, special like me - like yellow-school-bus special, ha, ha!

Uniquer is not a word but give it time, the way the American schools are going, and being an ex-labrat does pay! I would LOVE to see some [private]! That is amazing! Thanks - that is really cool! But there will be no feeling guilty, as I'm no less innocent in this than you!

Isn't it wonderful to get a letter? It is - an amazing thing to see something other than junk or a monstrous bill awaiting me. Although here's a story - I came home, eager to receive my package from Franklin Covey, and there was the red envelope awaiting me! I pulled the tab open, dying to see what my new inserts looked like... and there was a packing slip and nothing else! Wait a minute... what the hell?! They sent me a packing slip... that was it! Now I have to wait until Wednesday... humph...

OK, this is the bonding point! I bought my pen friend Molly in New Hampshire a little gift for Valentine's Day, a little gift for St. Patrick's Day and a little gift for Easter... all of which was sent two or three Saturdays ago, long after the holidays. And since it was all chocolate, well... most of it melted. So I know exactly what you are talking about with leaving the gift in the kitchen for months prior to mailing it!

Oh, we will do a whole boat-load of yapping at the Christening - another profoundly confusing event as it is another Christian thing so I will be completely out of my element with this sort of ceremonial weirdness. And we'll have a great time catching up and then - this time - we will write!

Me and Missy at the Christening.

Hope your flight was great!
Ash"

This of course makes it all worthwhile and we did do some yapping, but not enough. I'm hoping we will see each other before she heads home to Minnesota tomorrow afternoon!