This past weekend our family traveled to Prince George, Virginia, to attend the most delightful occasion and one which I'd never heard of celebrating.
Our friends' oldest daughter had just turned 13, and they wanted to honor and bless her as she left childhood behind and entered womanhood. A special ceremony--a Blessing--was held, and it was indeed a blessing to all who were there!
We arrived and enjoyed talking with our friends and the other families attending. Here we are conversing and meeting their newest addition.
Here's the guest of honor below (second from left) with three of her four sisters and their friends:
The evening began, and seven families were welcomed who had come to honor the birthday girl. We started with singing Blest Be the Tie That Binds with Tom on guitar, and we also sang Be Thou My Vision accompanied by piano.
Each of the dads had been asked to prepare some encouraging words of wisdom to present before the group. Here's one of the dads encouraging us all:
After the talks, scriptures, and encouragements from friends were shared, our friend called his daughter forward and told her that he was praying for her as she entered this new stage of life and that he was willing to lay down his life for her if need be.
This is my favorite photo of the evening because it shows a young daughter totally trusting her father to look out for her and to advise her in the coming years.
He encouraged her especially to look first to the Lord and then to her parents for counsel and prayer when temptations and hard times come. What a privilege it was to witness the signing of the covenant between a dad and his daughter and then watching as she was presented with a ring to seal the covenant:
After the ceremony we enjoyed a delicious meal and conversing around the table. You can also catch a glimpse of the "growing-up-years" collage on the wall in the background that was made for the occasion. 
Uh-oh...a little brother snitches some birthday cake icing!
And just before we left for home, we had a picture taken of all of us with the guest of honor. What a wonderful evening and one which we'll recommend for other families with sons and daughters approaching the teen years.
Have you ever attended a Blessing?
~Deb
I haven't heard of or attended a blessing but what a wonderful occasion it is. What nice photos you shared. :-)
Posted by: Connie | Wednesday, December 07, 2011 at 08:32 AM
I've never heard of it, but what a great idea!
Posted by: Amy, a redeemed sheep | Wednesday, December 07, 2011 at 09:54 AM
I have never heard of one.Looks like it was a special time for all involved.
Posted by: Tammy | Wednesday, December 07, 2011 at 10:59 AM
I have heard of them before, and what a wonderful idea! I need to start storing up detailed ideas--my oldest is almost 10!
Posted by: Carrie | Wednesday, December 07, 2011 at 11:31 AM
I have not heard of this. What a wonderful, memorable evening for this young lady! Thanks for sharing this. I am passing this on to our children.
Posted by: Dawn | Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 10:17 AM
Hi Deb - what a wonderful story and such a special ceremony. Your photos are all so lovely. The photo of the special little girl and her sisters is so beautiful.
Your family is truly beautiful - that is a wonderful picture of you all. You are so very blessed.
Vicki
Posted by: vicki | Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 10:23 AM
What an inspiring post! We've never been to a blessing...but we've done some of these same things at special milestones or graduations. You can be sure your friend will never forget this memory! Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Kathie | Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 08:45 PM
How special that is! I would have probably cried my way through the evening because it was so beautiful!
Posted by: Tonya | Friday, December 16, 2011 at 10:52 PM