baby blessings ceremonies
Services for Children and Youth
We offer special services including ceremonies such as Rites of Passage and Transitional Life Coaching for youths who will be graduating or going through a milestone in their life. Rev. Eleanor Fong, who has a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology and Art Therapy, will work directly with the youth and their family. Coaching Sessions can be designed to be a one time service or can be for a weekly or monthly basis.
Baby Blessings
Below are some gathered Poems that reflect a parents love and hope for their baby. We will work together to create a beautiful baby blessing ceremony at the beach. I usually provide a song and hymn at the ceremony. Please email me for more information and details.
Services for Children and Youth
We offer special services including ceremonies such as Rites of Passage and Transitional Life Coaching for youths who will be graduating or going through a milestone in their life. Rev. Eleanor Fong, who has a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology and Art Therapy, will work directly with the youth and their family. Coaching Sessions can be designed to be a one time service or can be for a weekly or monthly basis.
Baby Blessings
Below are some gathered Poems that reflect a parents love and hope for their baby. We will work together to create a beautiful baby blessing ceremony at the beach. I usually provide a song and hymn at the ceremony. Please email me for more information and details.
"I Am Love"
Author Unknown
"Some say I can fly on the wind,
yet I haven’t any wings.
Some have found me floating on the open sea, yet I
cannot swim.
Some have felt my warmth on cold nights, yet I have no
flame.
And though you cannot see me,
I lay between two lovers at the
hearth of fireplaces.
I am the twinkle in your child’s eyes.
I am hidden
in the lines of your mother's face.
I am your father's shield as he guards
your home.
And yet… Some say I am stronger than steel, yet I am as fragile as
a tear.
Some have never searched for me, yet I am around them always.
Some
say I die with loss, yet I am endless.
And though you cannot hear me, I dance
on the laughter of children.
I am woven into the whispers of passion.
I am
in the blessings of Grandmothers.
I embrace the cries of newborn
babies.
And yet… Some say I am a flower, yet I am also the seed.
Some have
little faith in me, yet I will always believe in them.
Some say I cannot cure
the ill, yet I nourish the soul.
And though you cannot touch me, I am the
gentle hand of the kind.
I am the fingertips that caress your cheek at
night.
I am the hug of a child.
I am love.”
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"Ithaka (translation/adaptation by Sarah Ban Breathnach)
"Pray that your journey be long,
full of many summer
mornings
when with much pleasure and much joy
you anchor in harbors never
seen before;
Browse through Phoenician markets,
to purchase exquisite
treasures-
mother-of-pearl and coral, ebony and amber
and sensual perfumes
of all kinds-
as much as you desire.
Visit many Egyptian cities,
content
to sit at the feet of sages, eager
and open to receive
learning.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is your
destiny.
But do not hurry the journey at all; be patient.
Better that it
lasts for many years-
longer than you can even imagine.
So that finally,
when you reach this
sacred isle, you will be wise,
abundantly fulfilled by
all you have gained along the way;
no longer expecting Ithaka to make you
wealthy,
no longer needing Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka has given
you the journey,
the chance to discover who you have always been.
Without
Ithaka as your inspiration, you
never would have set out in search of
Wholeness.
And should you find her poor, Ithaka did not deceive
you.
Authentic as you have become, full of wisdom,
beauty and grace,
enriched and enlightened by all you have experienced
You will finally
understand what all of life's Ithakas truly mean."
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From "The Prophet" By Kahlil Gibran
"And a woman who held a babe against her bosom
said,
'Speak to us of Children.'
And he said:
'Your children are not
your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for
itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with
you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your
thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but
not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you
cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but
seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with
yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are
sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He
bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your
bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow
that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable."
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Zuni Indian Prayer
Now this is the day.
Our child,
Into the
daylight
You will go standing.
Preparing for your day.
Our
child, it is your day,
This day.
May your road be fulfilled.
In your
thoughts may we live,
May we be the ones whom your thoughts will
embrace,
May you help us all to finish our
road
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Celtic Blessing
May the strength of the wind and the light of the
sun,
The softness of the rain and the mystery of the moon
Reach you and
fill you.
May beauty delight you and happiness uplift you,
May wonder
fulfill you and love surround you.
May your step be steady and your arm be
strong,
May your heart be peaceful and your word be true.
May you seek
to learn, may you learn to live,
May you live to love, and may you love -
always.
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Omaha Native American Blessing
Sun, Moon, Stars, all you
that move in the heavens, hear us!
Into your midst has come a new life.
Make his/her path smooth, that he/she may reach the brow of the first
hill!
Winds, Clouds, Rain, Mist, all you that move in the air, hear
us!
Into your midst has come a new life.
Make his/her path smooth, that
he/she may reach the brow of the second hill!
Hills, Valleys, Rivers,
Lakes, Trees, Grasses, all you of the earth, hear us!
Into your midst has
come a new life.
Make his/her path smooth, that he/she may reach the brow of
the third hill!
Birds, great and small, that fly in the air, Animals,
great and small, that dwell in the forest, Insects that creep among the
grasses and burrow in the ground, hear us!
Into your midst has come a new
life.
Make his/her path smooth, that he/she may reach the brow of the fourth
hill!
All you of the heavens, all you of the air, all you of the earth,
hear us!
Into your midst has come a new life.
Make his/her path smooth,
then shall he/she travel beyond the four
hills!
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THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL
We give you the greatest gift of all,
a headstart that will last throughout your life
We shall do our best to
teach you,
but it will be up to you to learn
We shall try to guide
you in the right directions,
but it will be up to you to make the right
decisions
We shall also encourage you to seek your own independence
but it will be up to you to be responsible
We shall tell you about
'drink and drugs',
but it will be up to you to say 'no'
We shall
teach you about respect,
but you will choose whether to appreciate it's
value
We shall encourage you to try,
but you should want to succeed
for yourself
We shall teach you kindness,
but it will be up to you
to be good-natured
We shall teach you to share,
but it will be up to
you to be unselfish
We shall model values for you.
but you have to
develop your own morals
We give you this knowledge as a gift
with
all our love. You are the poem
I dreamed of writing,
The masterpiece
I longed to paint.
You are the shining star
I reached for in my ever-hopeful quest
For life fulfilled...
You are my child.
Now with all things
I am blessed.
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RELIGIOUS AND CHRISTIAN READING FOR A BABY BLESSING
PRAYER CELEBRATING LIFE
For the gift of a child, [NAME] whose innocence and laughter keep the world
young, we rejoice and give thanks. May this new life, which we have accepted
into our community of ideals and friendship, receive abundantly the blessings of
health, love, knowledge, and wisdom, and in her/his turn give back richly to the
common heritage that endures from generation to generation. And for the gift of
parenthood made to [PARENT] and [PARENT] we also give our thanks. May they and
all parents everywhere give their children security, freedom and love, and may
they be blessed with much joy, much laughter and much patience in the divine
task of nurture. Amen
PRAYER OF SPIRIT
Give us the spirit of the child.
Give us the child who lives within—the
child who trusts, the child who imagines, the child who sings, the child who
receives without reservation, the child who gives without judgement.
Give us
a child’s eyes, that we may receive the beauty and freshness of this day like a
sunrise.
Give us a child’s ears, that we may hear the music of mythical
times.
Give us a child’s heart, that we may be filled with wonder and
delight.
Give us a child’s faith, that we may be cured of our cynicism.
Give us the spirit of the child, who is not afraid to need, who is not afraid to
love. Amen.
PRAYER OF JOY
We are glad to share the joy of these parents [PARENT] and [PARENT]. With
them we wonder at the miracle of life recreating itself. We promise to uphold
them in the task of nurturing their child and dedicate ourselves to building a
community in which the possibilities of their child’s life may be fully
realized. We speak their child’s name [CHILD] honouring in him/her the rights
and dignities of the human person.
PRAYER OF HOPE
With all our hopes and dreams for your future, we celebrate your being. May
you always feel the love that surrounds you. May your days be filled with wonder
and your nights be gentle. May your years on this earth be blessed with
strength, health and wisdom. May the love you are be the power forever guiding
your light on this earth. May God bless and keep you. And may your days be good
and long upon this earth.
PRAYER OF GRACE
Heavenly Father, we praise you for this childs birth—surround him/her with
your blessings that he/she may know your love, be protected from evil, and know
your goodness all his/her days. May he/she learn to love all that is true, grow
in wisdom and strength and, come through faith to the fullness of your
Grace.
May God the Father of all bless these parents and godparents and give them
grace to love and care for their child. May God give them wisdom, patience and
faith, and help them to provide for this beloved childs needs.
Eternal Father, we thank you for the rich variety of the families you have
created for us, and for the relationships which we see and enjoy within them.
Help us to respect and learn from each other. We thank you too for love that
binds the families that are here today, and ask your blessing on them.
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son shared at Nazareth the life of an earthly
home, bless the home of this child, may it provide shelter, warmth and security
to the family and to all those who visit.
All this we ask in Jesus’s name, Amen.
PRAYER OF PROTECTION
Blessings on you, Child of God, Child of the Universe. May you be wrapped in
care and protected from all harm. May all that touches you be tender and kind.
May stars dazzle your eyes and rainbows delight your heart. May affirming words
and glances encourage the goodness that is you. May you have fun exploring the
world and discovering hidden treasures….
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom
come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this
day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us
from evil,
For thine is the kingdom,
And the power, and the glory,
Forever and ever.
Amen