Sweet Baby Blessing

A while back I was invited to assist in the blessing ceremony of a sweet baby. He was just about one and perhaps the most adorable thing I have ever seen- and a few years before this, I helped with his brother's blessing. It felt so full circle to be writing some liturgy and blessing this baby like I did with his brother … after finding this on my computer I have decided to share the ceremony liturgy. I have taken out names and replaced them with letters representing initials.
I= the baby
N and K = the parents
D = the big brother
M= me

M:

I’s blessing began long before he entered this world. He was blessed as 

he was wished for and prayed over, as he grew and as he entered the world.

I have been excited about I’s blessing, I have been prayerfully blessing, 

I with hopes of love and dreams for a future full of grace and peace for over 

one year now. And today it is a joy to be standing among family and friends 

that are family to mark the life of sweet I and to dream together of his future,

and to promise to I, and K and N and D that we will all be 

present in his, in their, futures. 

It feels like yesterday when we gathered around, like we are today, under a 

warm sky to mark the birth of sweet D, to welcome him into the world with

warm wishes and sweet hugs. 

Today we gather in similar fashion to make similar promises to I. We have all 

already marked our wishes for I and made our promises to support and 

nurture both him and his beloved family -- for we know you cannot bless one 

without the other. 

We come together to thank the Divine for blessing us with a healthy, sweet and

beautiful child.

We have all made promises today and now I invite you to join me in voicing 

these promises once more-- I will read promises aloud to I, N and K

and D. After each reading I will invite you to join me in saying, “This 

promise we make to you.” 

I we pray that your life is filled with continued health and joyfulness. May 

you find strength in knowing how much you are loved, and by just so many 

many. We wish for you a life of family, community, education, adventure, 

hope and peace. As you grow and make your way in the world know that 

we will always be there for you. 

This promise we make to you. 

N and Kwe promise to love and support you as you grow and 

experience all of God’s wonder for you and your boys. We promise to 

laugh and to cry with you. 

This promise we make to you.

D, we promise to be good examples of love that you can share with I.

We promise to help you teach I to be just as great a kid as you are. 

This promise we make to you.

Now, if you want to move I this way/hand I to me, we will share in a blessing over 

this sweet boy similar to that we shared in this sacred space with D not too many 

years ago: 

This blanket represents those who love and support you both this day and forever 

more. This blanket full of many strings and different woven patterns reminds us of the 

may lives woven together to help nurture you and your family as you grow together. 

We wrap you in this blanket as a sign of our warm embrace of all that you are, I, 

of all that you family is and of all the love that warms you from this day forever more. 

With these new signs of love that has been around since before your birth and that 

will continue to wrap itself around you both near and far may you all depart this place 

with hearts full, with minds clear that we are all in this life together and that I, and

D, will never face hardship or joy, success or failure, pain or celebration alone. 

Welcome to the world, I. We are so happy that you are so present in our worlds.