This morning we got up bright and early to attend a family breakfast and the baptism of Olof’s sister’s baby. It was the first baptism that I’d been to in Sweden–perhaps even the first baptism I’ve been to, period, now that I think about it–and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Not being a Christian myself, and having some issues with infant baptism, I was a bit uncomfortable during parts of the ceremony, but all in all it wasn’t so bad.

It was nice and simple, with only family in attendance and there wasn’t much in the way of elaborate ritual. It was held in the “Fish Chapel,” which is a lovely little 18th-century building that used to house church services for fisherman who were away from home for long periods of time. The baptismal water was drawn by the baby’s father from the river that runs next to the chapel, and I thought that was a nice touch.

We took the opportunity of meeting up with Olof’s other sister, who is an avid amateur photographer, to get a family photo taken to run with one of my articles in the upcoming issue of Mosaic Minds. She took several shots, and I think they all turned out well. Here’s my favorite: