Let’s take it back to September when Hurricane Florence hit the North Carolina coast. That was the first time I met Elizabeth when she was visiting her aunt who lives right next door to me. Elizabeth is a fellow military spouse, and she was displaced while her home on base was being fixed. She was also finishing her first trimester of pregnancy while her husband was deployed to Japan. Her story reminded me of ours! 

Her aunt kept me in the loop of how Elizabeth was doing throughout the rest of her pregnancy. She found out she and her husband, Danny, were having a girl! Danny made it home in time for their sweet Claire’s birth and it ultimately when smoothly, and Claire made her entrance into the world!

When it came time for Claire to get baptized, it happened to be a weekend when we were visiting North Carolina. The gown that Claire was baptized in is a family heirloom that meant so much to Elizabeth and her mother who came all the way from California to see this moment! They also included Claire’s great grandfather’s baptism cap in the service. The pink hibiscus has significance in Elizabeth’s life as well because she was born in Hawaii. The thoughtfulness and sentimentality that went into the day made it clear how much sweet baby Claire is loved and cherished. Both of Claire’s godparents were in attendance—one of Elizabeth’s best friends from high school and a friend of Danny’s that he went through bootcamp with.

Their family and congregation welcomed me into their celebration of this declaration of Claire’s faith. It was a beautiful day in coastal North Carolina for Claire and her family.