Everybody Loves a Baby.…. Pretty Baby, Pretty Baby
(?)
As
I walked in through the vestibule with my wife, Juli, I saw a woman with a baby
carriage near the display of votive candles. This was not altogether
surprising. We had a number of younger families in the parish. The woman was
alone, so I thought the mother found the carriage more convenient than dragging
a car carrier, bottles, toys, and Huggies into church. If this helped
keep the kid quiet during Mass, I thought, all the better. St. Theresa’s did
not have a “cry room” for infants and young children.
When
the time came to receive the Holy Eucharist, “Mom” got in line ahead of us. The
carriage was in front of her, but by her side allowing Father Tim to distribute
the Communion. (No one wants to leave an infant alone in a public place – even
in God’s house.) Father paused for just a second to look into the carriage after
giving Communion to the mother. I cannot describe the look on Father’s face
when I approached him for Communion immediately afterwards (I was next in line.)
Either the kid was really cute, or
Father just had a religious experience. When I walked back to our pew, I
thought I must see for myself. So, I turned my head to try and get a glimpse
inside the carriage. I did, but I could not see much because of the blanket.
“Mom”
pushed the carriage just ahead of us as Juli and walked through the narthex
after Mass ended. I waited until we were both in the car before I commented on
my casual observation. I did not want to embarrass the mother. “Did you see the
hair the kid had,” I asked Juli.
“What?
Are you talking about the woman with the carriage? (Wives do that a lot. They
ask their husbands a question when they already know the answer. It is a gift,)
“There
was a little dog in that carriage. He or she was probably a therapy or comfort
dog.” Well, all I saw was the hair.
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