Isaacs 'Naming' ceremony 2017-12-31
(a secular alternativ to child baptism)

Its a privelage to be part of something so wonderful as a new life being introduced into our family and world.

I am not particularly religious ... but have spent 40 years of my life deeply involved in religion, and inspite of a number of regrets from that time ... I will have to acknowledge that religion does bring out a number of extremely beautiful concepts regarding life ... concepts that in reality have little to do with the religion itself.

One of them is from one of the prime characters in the Christian religion who said that regarding life it was  ... "As a grain of mustard seed"... the smallest of seeds but grows to be a great bush. The amazing fact that within this little seed are all the wonderful instructions (bueprints) for a complete plant ... size, taste, smell, form, shape, resiliance,   color etc. ---  Just as within this wonderful little child Isaac, there is a beautiful plan complete with personality, a will, a collection of the most beautiful character traits that will develope to bless our family, society and the world itself.  As parents - foster and care for this wonder written by creation  into his life ... don't try to make him into an image of our own mind, wish  or fantasy. It is this amazing diversity written into creation that makes it so wonderful -

Another gift I would like to share   --- from an unlikely source.  From a quite drunk older man sitting an a bar stool in a dungy side-street pub in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. 

The last evening Mireille and I were in Ireland in April (checking out my roots) we decided to make a final visit to a genuine Irish country pub to top off our visit.  When we walked in, we noticed a quite tippsy, skruffy older man looking out the window .. but didn't think so much about it.  It was a week night -- just a few 'farmer appearing' men sitting watching a soccer game ... quitely drinking their beer. I was driving, so while Mireille was finishing her drink I got talking to the bar tender, and told him we were enjoying the music in the background. He laughed and said we do it for old Percy (or whatever his name was) sitting by the window .. He loves Isla Grant and we try to work in a few of her songs amongst the soccer game and such. I thought this was nice -- so when we left we stoped and shook the old mans hand and thanked him for the music.  He brightened up a bit for a moment ... I'm sure he had a story .. but we of course will never know what it is.

I had never heard of her before, but when we left I looked up all I could find by this  Isla Grant, and  I would like to share a few seconds of a beautiful song she recorded about "Hope"-    Hope is not just distant fuzzy fanticy as religion would sometimes describe it  ... True hope is a real life, realistic  and positive possibility and plan for whats ahead .. a goal for a  journey of fullfillment in the life we face ...  something worthwhile to strive for in  the bussle and struggle of today ..   It is the best gift we can give our children.
 

Edgar

Listen to Isla Grants 'Hope' here