|
I became an official part of
my adoptive Cuban family today. At least in the eyes of
the Church. I am now a proud Padrino, the Godfather of
my friends' youngest daughter. It was her baptism and
and the celebration of her fourth birthday. A big day
for such a little girl. "Una candela", her mother calls
the brightfaced little bundle of energy.
There
was an instant connection between us when we met
and I was glad to oblige her parents request to
be a part of their lives and the ceremony. I explained
that I didn't know when or if I'd be coming back
and that was fine with them. I had lunch at their
house and then we walked to the church for the ceremony.
It was a group event with 15-20 others "starting
their lives as christians". The ceremony was a little
drawn out for my taste, sort of how I remember the
Catholic Church from my youth. But hey, I hung in
there. |
|
 |
The
real festivities began back at the house. Cake, balloons,
streamers, and a pinata decorated the Old Havana apartment.
Built in the 30's or 40's, the three story building is
actually about six stories tall because the ceiling on
each floor is about 18 feet tall. Tall enough that parts
of the apartment had been crudely subdivided to create
additional upstairs bedrooms on the same floor. Lots of
energy went into cleaning and decorating, but the music
made it really happen.
|
