On April 5, 2009, Ted and Joey's families gathered for the Dedication of Bowie Paul Thomas Callister, Ted and Joey's six week old baby boy. It was Palm Sunday and also my Grandpa Noel's birthday. He passed away in 1989 and would have been 99 years old today! I wasn't sure what to expect when Ted invited us to the Dedication. Babies in our church are given a name and a blessing in a church service, and we thought Bowie's Dedication would be somewhat similar to that or like a Catholic baptism of infants. The first noticeable difference in our church and theirs was that we wore jeans to the service. This was wonderful for us. It was General Conference Sunday in our religion, so we didn't have organized church service that day, and it was was great to not have to get dressed up in dresses, suits and ties. We had a relaxing, enjoyable trip out to Tooele, where we saw people of all kinds entering the Church building. We waited outside for Ted and Joey, and as we walked in the back door of the Church, we were immediately greeted by lovely women who seemed sincerely happy to meet us. They wanted to know our names, and one of them even hugged Kurt:)
The pastor called Ted and Joey up to the front of the room, and then asked all of their families to come up to the front, too. There were SO many of us there.. it was amazing to see how we filled the room. A bunch of Mormons crowding into this little church building to support Ted and Joey. The pastor talked about bringing Bowie up in Christ and dedicating his life to the Lord. He said some really great things that we should all ponder every day, and even though it was different than the Church I attend, I enjoyed being with people who believe in, love and honor Jesus Christ. We all had common ground in our love for the Savior and it was a really pleasant experience going to the New Life Christian Fellowship church with my brother's family.
After the Pastor spoke and the congregation reached their hands towards Bowie while the Pastor said a prayer for him, the family sat back down and Paul played "Amazing Grace"on his bagpipes. Joey and I were both crying like babies while he played. Man, I love my brother. When Paul was done, Joey asked for a moment of silence for our Mom who died 21 years ago of breast cancer. She said, and I wish I could remember it word for word, but as she was crying, she said something to the effect "I never met Ted's Mom, but I'd like to ask for a moment of silence for her. I married the most amazing family". It was so awesome. So the Pastor asked the congregation for a moment of silence for Grandma Becky, who never met a single one of her 17 grandchildren.
I was so glad I was able to be there with Ted and Joey and Bowie and I'm so happy for Ted that he has a son. He's always wanted to be a Father, and I know he'll be an amazing Dad to Bowie. I'm glad they have religion in their home, and I hope they have many years full of peace, love and harmony as they raise their son, along with gorgeous Mikayla, who was part of the family before Ted was. I'm honored that I was a part of this special day for Ted's family.
