Front Row Lessons

After Annette and I got married and moved to Orem, the first ward we attended was the BYU 98th Ward, a married student ward. The church building where we met was at 50 S 800 E in Orem. When we went to church, we drove north on 800 East from our apartment on 1500 South and passed three other church buildings along the way. There was no shortage of wards and church buildings in Utah County.

One Sunday during Sacrament Meeting, a young couple came in just as the meeting was starting. The only seats left in the chapel were on the front two pews. They sat in the second row. Their baby was about six to eight weeks old.

Shortly after the meeting began, the mother stepped out with the baby to feed her. She returned a little while later and handed the baby to her husband.

As the meeting continued, he lifted the baby above his head at arm’s length and then lowered her toward his face, smiling up at her like only a brand-new dad can. He raised and lowered her several times. Based on her wide smile and happy gurgling, she was clearly enjoying it. It was a sweet little moment unfolding right there on the second pew.

Then she threw up.

It went all over his upturned face and directly into his mouth.

He froze for a split second, eyes wide, as the reality of what had just happened settled in. Then he quickly brought the baby down. His wife calmly handed him a burp rag. He stood up and walked out of the chapel, wiping his face while she followed close behind with the diaper bag. They did not return to Sacrament Meeting. Or to Sunday School. Or to Priesthood and Relief Society.

No one laughed out loud. Every single person in the chapel was watching. When you sit on the front pew, you are part of the program whether you intend to be or not. That morning, he was the program.

Instead of laughter, there were quiet smiles of horror and understanding. Every couple in that ward was young. Many already had children under three. We all understood.

Annette and I did not had our first baby yet. But I made a silent mental note that morning: never lift a recently fed baby above your face in church.

That was one of my first lessons in married student ward life. Church was not polished or quiet. It was real. Babies cried. Young fathers learned quickly. And sometimes, humility came without warning.