Putting My Nephew on Display

I woke up with a wicked headache (which I still have) and excessive nausea (which is present but still lingering). So, unfortunately, I had to call in to work. It also meant I didn’t have time to get up early this morning and write the blog post I had scheduled for today.

So, of course, I got texts and e-mails from friends and even my sister asking if I was alright because I didn’t update the blog.

Yes, folks, I’m fine! Just a bit of a bug I’ve been fighting. In the interim – and speaking of family – here’s some adorable pictures of my excessively handsome and adorable (just like his Uncle) nephew from last Sunday’s Christening.

Luckily, my eight week old nephew got to wear an adorable white satin suit in lieu of the christening gowns that all of us, regardless of gender, had to wear.

Look at that suit!

The gold baptism necklace he’s sporting belonged to his paternal Grandfather, Girolamo, who passed away last March. Ninety years ago, he wore it around his necklace as he was welcomed into the church with his parents and grandparents doting over him. A century later, the necklace is restored and placed around the neck of Joseph Gino, whose middle name is a tribute to his late grandfather (they called him Gino as a boy). It is a gentle reminder that those that are lost are those that we have loved, would have loved us, and are always present through the indelible impacts and influence they have on our lives.

More pictures after the jump.

Me holding my nephew/Godson. He, like me, was in awe of the architecture of St. Joseph’s in Troy. Though it’s bad form for photographs of people to have excessive space above the head, I preserved the photo as is so you could appreciate the beauty of this building. It was our first christening in this church, as the church used for the rest of my nieces stopped doing baptisms due to its impending closure.

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There he is again, awaiting his baptism with the unintentional faux-hawk he’s been sporting since his birth. Neither of us was having a particularly good hair day due to the weather.

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Here he is again, hamming it up for the camera. Just like his shameless Uncle.

It was a beautiful ceremony and a great time with family.

Some of you may found it curious that I’m sharing these in light of other material that’s on this blog. However, this isn’t just a means for me to show you how adorable my nephew is (though that’s certainly part of it). Rather, it is because it’s moments like these and days like this past Sunday that keep me my feet on the ground and my head up and looking forward.

With the stressors and circumstances that are sometimes thrown at us in every day life, it’s good to have that reminder of the reasons we’re here in the first place. I consider myself lucky. Without my brother, sisters, parents, nieces and nephew (and forthcoming second nephew), I don’t know that I’d have quite the same appreciation for life.

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