| |
Caitlyn
Mae's Naming
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Little one, receive the blessing of Air.
May your holy innocence rejoice
in the newness of each day.
Greetings from the Spirit of Air,
your protector and friend.
Little one, receive the blessing of Fire.
May you receive the creative spark to dream with,
the courage to keep your ideals,
and the will to make your dreams come true.
Greetings from the Spirit of Fire,
your protector and friend.
Little one, receive the blessing of Water,
the womb from which we all come.
May you yield gracefully to what must be,
knowing the treasures you hold within
Greetings from the Spirit of Water,
your protector and friend.
Little one, receive the blessing of Earth,
the earth from which you grew.
May you be strong in silence and fertile in growth.
The North is depth and darkness
out of which comes wisdom and renewal
Greetings from the Spirit of Earth,
your protector and friend.
Little one, receive the blessing of Spirit,
which binds the four together,
from which they are formed,
and through which they are made manifest.
The Spirit is your home.
Be open to it, both gentle and vigorous.
Return to home, Spirit, center in times of trouble.
We meet today to bless this child, to help her find her path to happiness, and to name her. And, as we do, let us remember the love of this community.
Jason: We honor the parents of this child, Darren and Carolyn Gibbs.
Carolyn: Parenting is loving, listening, trusting, and learning. It's noticing what is happening right now not what we think should be happening or what was happening yesterday or what we thought might happen or what someone told us would happen, but what is happening right now. Being surprised and acting from the heart.
Darren: Parenting is holding our fundamental belief in and respect for this whole person who is our daughter - her drive, her force, her will, her emotions, her goodness -- knowing there is a healthy impulse behind everything she does, and following her lead.
Darren: Parenting is patience, instant availability without constant presence, and knowing that for each of us, a part of our heart is forever walking around outside of ourselves.
Jason: The people gathered here have come forward to be guardians for this child. Please join me in reading this statement of our support for her.
Jason to have Emma & Kelli to repeat: To be a guardian is to be ready to accompany Caitlyn as she explores the many paths open to her, to help her choose the path which is hers, and once she is on it, to help her live by it. It is to be present with support and encouragement, to know her from our hearts by her heart.
Little one, you are Caitlyn Mae Gibbs.
Your parents, Darren and Carolyn, have given you the name Caitlyn from the greek meaning "pure". They have given you the name Mae for your great-grandmother on your father's side and your grandfather's sister on your mother's side, also from the English meaning the month of May, from the Hawthorn flower and from the French amabilis meaning "lovable". And they have given you their family name Gibbs which originated in Invernesshire in Scotland, with ancestral roots tracing back to Pictish origins.
Your name has been given to you in love. May it be a source of comfort and pride.
Firstly to Darren and Carolyn, thank you for asking me to be Caitlyn Mae's godmother. I want you to know how honored I am, and I pledge to be here for her whenever she needs me. I have chosen to recite a poem that I had read at my son's naming ceremony, and I think this is a great sentiment for today:
If a child lives with criticism, she learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, she learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, she learns to be shy
If a child lives with shame, she learns to feel guilty
If a child lives with tolerance, she learns to be patient
If a child lives with encouragement, she learns confidence
If a child lives with praise, she learns to appreciate,
If a child lives with fairness, she learns justice,
If a child lives with security, she learns to have faith,
If a child lives with approval, she learns to like herself,
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, she learns to find her place
in the world.
Caitlyn Mae Gibbs, I wish for you a peaceful world, and a life rich in love and happiness.
Like Caitlyn's other god mothers I am thankful for the opportunity to be Caitlyn Mae's godmother. Its a great responsibility and one I hope I can do well. I not only get to be her aunty, but also her godmother, there is no greater honour. My wish for her is a successful life, filled with great happiness and love. I look forward to watching as she grows to be a young lady and lives her life to the fullest. I hope that during her life I will be there at times when she needs me. You all share a love for this little girl, so I know her life will never be empty of love. I pray her life is never empty of anything else. May you be blessed all the days of your life.
Firstly I would like to thank Carolyn and Darren for asking me to be one of Caitlyn's Godmothers. As a mother of three boys it does my heart good to have a connection with a new female life! I am also honored to have been chosen. Thank you both. I have found a Celtic prayer which I feel expresses my hopes for Caitlyn and indeed her whole family.
May the blessing of light
Be on you, light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight
Shine upon you and warm your heart till it glows
Like a great peat fire, so the stranger may
Come and warm himself at it, as well as the friend.
And may the light shine out of the eyes of you,
Like a candle set in the windows of a house,
Bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm.
And may the blessing of the rain
Be on you - the soft sweet rain.
May it fall upon your spirit so that all the little flowers may spring up,
And shed their sweetness on the air
And may the blessing of the great rains be on you,
that they beat upon your spirit and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there many a shining pool where the blue
of heaven shines, and sometimes a star.
And may the blessing of the earth
Be on you - the great round earth;
May you ever have a kindly greeting
For people you pass as you are going along the roads.
And now may the Lord
Bless you, and bless you kindly.
Deep peace of the Running Wave to you
Deep peace of the Flowing Air to you
Deep peace of the Quiet Earth to you
Deep peace of the Shining Stars to you
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you
Last modified: 22 January, 2005
Author: Carolyn Gibbs
URL: http://www.gibbs.net.au/children/caitlyn/index.html