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      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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