Books & Magazines

Welcoming Ways: Creating Your Baby's Welcome Ceremony with the Wisdom of World Traditions

Written by Andrea Alban Gosline
Illustrated by Lisa Burnett Bossi

Published by Cedco Publishing.

Andrea Alban Gosline's book, Welcoming Ways: Creating Your Baby's Welcome Ceremony with the Wisdom of World Tradition is a wonderful collection of ways to introduce your baby into his or her family. The nine ceremonies outlined in the book guide your experience, or you can choose among their many elements to create something more customized. Each ceremony contains poems, prayers and inspirational readings that may be said aloud or used in a memory book. She also sprinkles suggestions for including family, friends and children, serving food, creating altars, and how this type of ceremony is celebrated around the world. A realist, she gives new parents ideas that can be easily implemented.

Although the ceremonies focus on welcoming newborns into the world, I found myself mentally adapting many of the themes for other occasions. I did not have a formal ceremony for my children when they were born, yet Ms. Gosline's book inspired me to include a few ceremonial elements into their birthdays. Find ways to create tradition and continuously show and tell your children you are so glad they have joined your family, seems to be the overriding message.

Her use of traditional elements, global experiences and creativity in carving out your own sense of family, form the ideal set of ingredients for ritual building. A reminder that it is never too late to welcome your child into the world, share your love with others, and create meaningful traditions that embrace our past and help define our future. I would recommend this book for families of all ages.

-- Julie Thompson