Why Don't You Just Meet Me In The MIDDLE

Day 1 of 30

It's common for a newborn child to receive a middle name. 

At least it used to be. 

I can probably count on one hand the amount of friends I have without middle names. When they got in trouble, did their moms just yell their first names REALLY loud? Or did they yell their first and last name? I was a firm believer for a while that middle names were simply part of parenting tradition in order to confirm exactly how pissed your mom was. Once you heard your middle name, you knew you were in for it. 

My middle name is Theresa. 

Growing up if I heard "Kathryn Theresa" it usually meant I had pissed my parents off pretty royally. But when I wasn't causing chaos as a child, I was always very proud of my middle name. 

I thought it was beautiful. From a young age, my mom always told me it came from St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as "the little flower" or the "little child of Jesus." Therese was a nun of the Carmelite order in France, and devoted her life to the faith. My mom said she always had a devotion to St. Therese. 

Yes, my family raised me in a very Catholic household, and for that I am eternally grateful. Growing up Catholic meant CCD on Saturdays (or week nights, depending the age), mass every Sunday morning, and every holiday. It meant understanding that we are not alone in this world, that we always have someone in our corner, even though we can't see Him. Faith and religion are subjects that many people shy away from when having conversations. I believe what I believe because 1. I've seen it work in my life and 2. it's what I know and will never stray from that belief. Am I the poster child for Catholicism? Absolutely not. Once I was 18, I stopped going to church regularly and now fall into the C.A.P.E. category (Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Easter). It's not something I am super proud of, but that does NOT mean I don't believe or practice in my own way. (I am working on it, Mom...)

Here's the deal, friends: believe what you believe, stand FIRM in those beliefs, and don't ever let anyone try and sway them. If someone is going to judge you based on what you believe in, you don't need them in your life. 

I love my middle name. I love how it flows so elegantly with my first name (even though I never use it unless in an official setting.. no need to be formal all the time!). I love how it is a part of who I am. I also love that I share my middle name with my mom's mom, my Nana. As a child, I knew we shared a middle name. 

My Nana was very much in tune with her beliefs, having rarely missed a 4 o'clock mass with Granddaddy on Saturdays. She prayed every night, she said the rosary frequently. She's been gone a year in June, which doesn't make sense because it doesn't feel that long. When I spent time with her the night she passed, you better believe she had her rosary on her. I don't ever remember her without it. She also loved her roses (yellow to be exact), which is why, after her funeral, I took some yellow roses to dry. I had an idea to have a rosary made for my mom out of these roses, and a chaplet for my car mirror. I gave Mom the rosary for Christmas, which caught her by surprise. Nana is always with me, even if it's in the form of a belief that the chaplet represents her and how deeply rooted in faith she was. 
   
         


Middle names are beautiful.They are incredible. They are deeply steeped in family tradition (usually). We are in the business of being truly happy with who we are - so accepting our personal history is a step in the process.