Blessing James

On New Year's Day, we blessed James.  It was a wonderful occasion.  My Parents were able to fly out for the weekend and it was a blessing to have them with us for this spiritual event.  We missed Joel's family but we are excited for their visit in the spring!

I don't remember whether James slept through the blessing, but he was quiet.  It's a good thing he was because this was our longest baby blessing yet.

We are so blessed to have James in our family.  He brings us a lot of joy already, and I know he and William will be great buddies when the older kids are off to school.  When James cries, all I have to do is pick him up, talk to him, and nuzzle his cheeks with my face a bit and he settles down.  It took him a few days to decide he really wanted to open his eyes, but now that he has he is interested in all that is around him.

Here are some highlights (taken from Joel's notes and mine) from James's blessing, for the family members who weren't there but wished they had been:

James Burton Johnson has been blessed with a special name.  He should remember his name because it is a reminder of his powerful heritage.

He has the light of Christ, which is a great gift, for with this gift he will have his first experiences with the Spirit. He will feel the Spirit early on.  He will have a desire to develop this gift.

He will have a desire to be baptized.  The Spirit will guide him and will give him the strength to continue in the gospel and the priesthood.

James has been blessed with a special power to help others.  He will have the power of charity.  He will be able to see their full potential and love them for who they are. He will be able to help others come to know the Savior.

James has been blessed with a gift of a wonderful mother who will show him how to develop charity.  She will be an example to him.

James will experience the blessing of service, and will have great joy in life.  Because of the charity he will have, James will serve a mission and help others come to the gospel.  This will happen in a manner that will be a special help to him as he becomes an adult so he can do what's right, not waver, and return to live with our Heavenly Father.

Can't ask for more than that in a baby blessing.  We are so grateful for James, and though I love having a newborn baby in the house, I am excited to see him grow up.  I hope I can do what I need to in order to help him become the person he needs to be.