I’m going to change my name. I just decided this morning. You see, I was born into a Catholic family, and a few days later, I was baptized as such. My given name is Polly Cecile Kronenberger. On both my birth certificate and my baptismal certificate. This was a little problematic back then, or so I am told. Because Polly was not a saintly name. Go figure.
Nonetheless, it went through. I think my parents had connections, if you know what I mean. The big guy upstairs, the son, and the mom were all in on the deal. So it took.
I’m often asked who I was named for. …… and….
I’m off on a tangent. Neither of those names is the one I am changing. Back to the Catholic lesson. Around the 4th grade, Catholics get “Confirmed.” It is not like when you buy a ticket for a flight, and you get an email with your confirmation. No. It is more like making a Big Mac. (Layer the bun, hamburger, special sauce, cheese, pickles, onion… and then do it all again.)
For those of you not familiar with this religion … Catholics believe the Sacrament of Confirmation is spiritual “step” in the growth process. It builds on what was begun in Baptism. On the proceeding tier, you confess your accumulated sins, at your First Confession. Then the next step comes when you are nourished in Holy Eucharist.
Finally, the process completes when you are initiated into the Christian community, through Confirmation. This… matures the soul for the work ahead. The big bonus? You get to pick out a third name. And the downside of the ceremony? First, you kiss his ring and then the Bishop slaps you.
Regardless, you get a new name. But there is a hitch. It has to be a saint’s name. Mine is Constance. I sort of had to “settle” on that one. My first choice was Salome. But Mom wouldn’t have it. So, Constance, I am.
But this morning I was reading, and I found out today is the Feast Day for Saint Kevin. I kid you not. Saint Kevin. So I am officially changing my Confirmation name to Kevin. Today. Polly Cecile Kevin Kronenberger. It just sounds better don’t you think?
But that’s not the motivation. The name Kevin makes me happy for some reason. Ever since I saw the dog Kevin in the movie “UP.” And, that Saint Kevin seemed to be an okay kind of guy. He is the patron saint of blackbirds. And since I love crows, it all just seems to fit.
So, I have declared my new third name. Kevin. This wasn’t an easy decision, I’ll tell you. But I am happy now that is done.
Isn’t that the way it goes? Change?
Life is full of change. Each day. Even the mention of this word may cause some of us to feel uneasy. Many times, we find ourselves resisting change. It can feel risky, or maybe we fear what things will be like if we break the “norm.”
The bottom line? Sometimes change is best. We can feel it in our inner being when it is a good thing. It’s on our radar. It doesn’t make it any easier, but we know it has to happen. So we do. And we learn from it and grow. Yep. We know in our deepest deep when we are walking toward the “good”… and not away from it.
Maybe each day, we can look a little bit for the good. And walk in that direction.
I’m spelling Kevin with a C. Sometimes all we can do is change a little at a time.
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“We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky.”
― Walter Mosley, Blue Light
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“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
― Jalaluddin Rumi
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“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
― Albert Einstein
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