Could you talk about your baptism?

I was baptized early in the morning of the day I turned 18, back in the 1970's. A truly wonderful day!

I was already a "virtual" Mormon, if there is such a thing. The bishop called me a "dry Mormon", which I confess I didn't understand the first time he said it. Sorry, I guess I was kind of slow on the uptake, a characteristic I suppose I retain to this day. Anyway, I had been attending church and seminary (church sponsored religious instruction for high school students) and serving as a primary teacher and secretary of the priests quorum. I was a teenager when I found the church and parental permission was required for me to be baptized as a minor. My mother, a widowed single parent at that time who continues strong in her own faith, refused to give permission for my baptism. So it was that early the morning of my 18th birthday, the seminary class and other friends gathered at the side of the swimming pool of a very dear friend where I was baptized. What a great feeling to come up out of that water! I dried off and was confirmed right there by the side of the pool. Our bishop laid his hands on the top my head for the confirmation ordinance. When the bishop said, "Receive the Holy Ghost", I felt something come right out of his hands which proceeded to fill my body. It started from the top of my head and went all the way down to the tips of my toes. It was a real physical thing, not just some warm fuzzy feeling. For this reason I can honestly say that I know that the Gift of the Holy Ghost as given under the authority of the priesthood is real. I repeat for emphasis – the Gift of the Holy Ghost is not some ethereal concept. It is real.

So yes, the day I was baptized was a wonderful day. Right up there on the list including the day I was baptized for and in behalf of my father, the day on my mission when I taught my first lesson (an incredibly spiritual experience - yes the man was baptized), the day I was married, and the day my first son was born.