I am a Married Working Godmother and I
recently had the opportunity to reflect on the role of godparents. Confession is good for the soul and I confess
that I have more than my fair share of godchildren. Some of them I stood for voluntarily, others
I was ‘coerced’ into standing for and still others adopted me. No matter the origin of the relationship, I
AM GODDIE!
The role of the godparent has changed
over the years. Godparents originally
‘sponsored’ an adult desiring to be baptized.
The sponsor vouched for the character of the baptism candidate. The role developed further as more and more
babies began to be baptized. The
godparent then stood with the parents to agree that the baptized infant would
be brought up in a Christian environment.
More recently godparents can be selected because of their ability to
‘sponsor’ a child financially. I am not
that godparent. Most of my godchildren are the children of good friends, and in
some cases I am godmother of all of the children in the household.
I love being a godmother. I learned how to be a good godparent from my
godparents who were superb godparents.
As I look back at my childhood, there is not a single event I can recall
when my godparents weren’t there. It
helped that they were married to each other I suppose, I have fond memories of
countless weekends at their home and a 13th birthday party that they
hosted for me. A conversation with one
of my goddaughters and her subsequent death sparked me to write a note to my
remaining godchildren.
Dear Godchild,
Goddie loves you
very much. Although she may not see you
as often as she’d like, she covers you in prayer daily. You make my heart skip a beat when your face
lights up everytime you see me. I enjoy
spending time with you, watching you grow and getting the things you really
need like spray candy. Thank you for the
joy you bring to my life.
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| Enjoying four of my godchildren...there are so many more I love! |
Goddie has enjoyed
every Christmas Play, violin concert, ballet production, field trip, project
preparation and birthday party. Even when
you were a baby, and not used to being separated from your mum, I held you in
my arms and rocked you to sleep, despite the tears and passionate screams for
mummy (yours not mine – smile)
Now that you are older, you don’t cry anymore. We have conversations now. I have never been more interested in Lego
Duplo blocks, matching clothes, hair, finger nail polish, shoes, books and
movies. I like to know who you play with
in school, and who makes you vex.
Despite what your mother says, you will never be to big to sit in my
lap. That spot is just for you!
As I write this note
with tears in my eyes, I want you to know that I am proud of the young
man/woman you are becoming. I listen
with awe and laughter as your mother recounts tales of your latest accomplishments,
whether it is potty training, sports or academics. I look forward to seeing your pictures on
Facebook and your birthday calls and emails from me are always sincere.
When Goddie
disciplines you, it is because she sees the best in you and wants you to see it
in yourself. We usually don’t stay mad
at each other for long – there’s too much fun things for us to do
together!
My wish for you is
that you become all that God has for you to become. My desire is that you learn to serve Him in
your youth. May the things of God always
be important to you. At your baptism I
promised that I would support your parents in your Christian upbringing, and at
your confirmation I’ll be there to watch you make the promise for yourself.
Here are some things
I want you to remember:
- Respect and fear God – He is the Creator.
- Honour your parents – they are making sacrifices for you.
- Always treat people how you want to be treated.
- I am here for you – even if it means sitting at your side as you fight your last fight with death in a hospital bed. (I’m super glad I was able to tell you all of this stuff while you were living!)
With much love and
affection,
Goddie
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| Guest Blogger Mrs. Antja Humes |
2 comments:
What sacred sharing. Thank you for sharing your heart upon loss. Your words made me reflect on my role as a God parent. Your words captured the essence of today's God parent as they should be, a godly support to the child and by extension to the parent. Recently I was asked to stand for an infant. I declined the honor citing it was another responsibility added to what I already have. I felt a tinge of guilt as I did not feel that I do enough to be involved in my God children's lives. Sigh. Nevertheless, I hope that I have fostered a bond with each child that with time and space our connection grows. Thank you for your candid sharing. This was awesome.
Kaylus used the correct words...sacred sharing. Such a beautiful read. I imagine your god children are so happy that their parents chose well and if not when they get older they surely will be. Thank you for sharing and for the bit of history behind it. It really made me reflect on my god parents, my parents chose well too :-)
I thoroughly enjoyed your post!
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