Culture

Snapshot of a new life
a gift to celebrate the birth of a baby
Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Photography by Phillip Shippert

I experience one of those difficult parenting moments as I watch my 2-year-old daughter purposely dump a tub of hot cocoa mix all over herself and my kitchen floor. Infuriated inside, I rush over to clean up the mess before she runs off to track it all over the rest of the house. Half an hour later, after a new outfit and mopped floor, I am feeling totally inconvenienced, annoyed and overwhelmed. It is then that I take a good look at her and remind myself of the positive; of the humorous and loving things she does. I also think of what we receive as parents as we work to raise her. Most importantly, I remind myself of what a huge blessing she is – a gift from God that brings joy to our life every day – spilled cocoa mix and all.

Yet as a Catholic, being a parent is more than just cleaning up messes. It is an awesome responsibility with which God entrusts us – to lead our little ones down a path to holiness. That is a pretty huge task, since they’ll be faced with significant outside pressures to the contrary. While it’s easy to get caught up in decorating a nursery, buying cute clothes and reading bedtime stories, we need to recognize the job ahead of setting a good Christian example as moms and dads. We need to remember our primary responsibility of teaching them what they will need to one day get to heaven.

Are you expecting a baby or know of anyone else who is? Do you know of anyone struggling with the responsibility of being a parent? Or perhaps, are you aware of anyone in a crisis pregnancy? These mothers are faced with the challenge of choosing a difficult “right thing” amidst a torrent of fears, anxieties and social pressures that obscure the beauty of their unborn child. Here is a fun and simple project we can do to encourage and thank all mothers and fathers for choosing life. It is a photo holder that is designed to remind us of the blessing and responsibility each child is. When we look at that photo of a little one, let it remind us that it’s not just a snapshot of a cute baby or smiling child but a precious soul to take care of and lead back to God.

For this project, you will need:

Wooden toy blocks (can be purchased unfinished at an arts and crafts store)
Acrylic craft paint in colors of your choice
Paintbrush
Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
18-gauge craft wire
Wire-cutting pliers
Needle-nose pliers
Hammer
Puncture tool or ice pick
Wooden dowel (1⁄2 - 3⁄4 inch in diameter)
(A thick magic marker or broom handle will work also.)
Begin by painting the letters on the blocks in alternating colors of choice. Set aside to dry.

Hot-glue the blocks together, staggering them slightly to give some dimension. Set aside so glue hardens.

Using your needle-nose pliers, make a small loop at the end of the wire and wrap around the wooden dowel twice. Remove from dowel and bend the rest of the wire to create the stem of the photo holder. Repeat this to create five more stems and then trim to different lengths.

Make a hole in the top (center) of the blocks using your puncture tool (or ice pick) and hammer. Apply hot glue to the end of each wire and push into holes in the blocks. Let glue harden.

More ideas:
• Get a group of friends together to make several to donate to a crisis pregnancy center.
• Going to a baby shower? They make a great gift to go along with an outfit.
• Personalize it with the baby’s name.

Originally Published: April 2007