The last two months have passed in a heartbeat. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, with Christmas and my birthday in between, Christmas guests, Christmas break at Rose’s preschool, my parents’ visit, visits to the doctors, and house cleaning. Evenings are quite busy too, because we are taking advantage of my mother’s presence. We are going to the movies, discovering new restaurants, simply enjoying our regained “going out adult time”.
During this hectic run, on January 6, 2018, Epiphany, we baptized our little Maya.The Baptism took place at the same church where we baptized Rose. There was another priest, because, strangely and unfortunately, after 90 years the Dominican monastery had left Berkeley, and they were the previous host of the parish.
The Baptism took place among our close friends and my parents. There was also a live connection with Poland and London. The ceremony went great. Father Nick explained perfectly to the guests present what this sacrament was all about. Maya was thoroughly doused with water and anointed with oils. She cried very little. I, however, cried a lot more. Rose was not too jealous. She must have been happy it wasn’t her turn to have her hair wet, which she simply hates. The Godmother was my very good Italian friend Cinzia and the Godfather, Anthony, is a friend from Dean’s work, who had recently spent a week in Krakow. He and his wife admired Polish coffee and chocolate 🙂 It was very moving that some friends attended also Rose’s baptism, and that we also made new very special acquaintances.
The Church of St. Mary Magdalene is very friendly to people. I met many nice people there. It is with pleasure, though not on every Sunday, that we are going to family mass on Sunday. For a good few months Rose preferred to run around the church, but recently she has been more patiently accompanying us. Of course, I need to carry a snack bag and kids books. Maya is usually very peaceful.
After the mass, we go with children to the nearby playground. There is also coffee and super sweet donuts. There is a school at the church. There is no shortage of parking, which is normal to see around the churches in the USA.
In San Francisco there is a Polish Church. But for us it is to distant, and besides, one of the priests there had strongly opposed to supporting the first (splendid) finale event of a very popular Polish charity event. I do not know how it affects others, but this attitude did not win my expat heart.
January is the month of planning, finishing the perpetually unfinished from the past year. We were happy that we baptized Maya at the beginning of the year. It was a wonderful, even romantic, day. We do not plan to have more children, so we felt fulfilled that Rose and Maja had had both their special day in the same church in Berkeley, where for two and a half years we have been building our Polish American home.
