Garden Party
I I have recently become a Christian and I was baptized for the first time. To celebrate the event some friends from my church threw an incredibly beautiful party for me.
One of my prized possessions is my garden. I grow green beans, tomatoes, squash, strawberries, carrots and herbs. What better way to share the celebration of my Baptism than with a Garden party! Sally, my friend, was in charge of the party itself. She invited me over to her house after the ceremony. The cards she made were so lovely. She used pressed flowers from her own garden, gluing them onto handmade sheets of paper. In calligraphy inside she had written the place, date and time of the party, as well as a biblical quote, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, it will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body."
After the ceremony, I arrived at Sally's house and found everyone was already in her garden. Sally had rented a small Pop up Gazebo to shade us from the afternoon sun and four round tables had been set up inside it. I recognised the white folding chairs from church placed around them. Some of the women in the church had made the linens for the tables. They were beautiful floral print bases and white linen tops. The place mats matched the floral print bases. Each table had a brown basket with a stunningly beautiful bouquet arranged inside.
The other women from church were there talking and listening to a wonderful string quartet. We all laughed about the sneezing fit I had in the middle of my Baptism and how the baby who was baptised before me couldn't stop playing with the minister's hand.
Everyone sat down for tea and sliced vegetables freshly cut from another women's garden. They were delicious. Karen had even made her homemade vegetable dip. It was very good, although I thought it was onion soup mix with sour cream !!
Susan then brought out a gorgeous cake. She had baked and decorated it herself. She had covered the top and sides with frosting flowers and vegetables. It almost looked too beautiful to eat so I took some pictures before it was cut. It was absolutely delicious. and filled with homemade blackberry jam. Some of us drank champagne with the cake! It went with it perfectly.
After we'd eaten Sally brought out a couple plates full of pressed flowers from her garden and some silk flowers she bought at a fabric shop, some puffy paint and blank frames so we could enjoy some Arts and Crafts. We spent the rest of the afternoon framing the pictures Alicia took of the party. I haven't had so much fun since I was a kid. It felt so good to be creative and make something from scratch.
I picked the picture I loved the best out of the ones Alicia sent me. It was a photo of myself and the rest of the girls sitting at the table sipping tea. I put it in my hand made frame as a joyful reminder of my Baptism.
