Why she has her grandmother’s name

May 5 is my little girl’s birthday. Her name holds so much meaning. Mary Leigh is a combination of the Blessed Mother’s name and my mom’s.

When you go to have a child, if you’ve ever worked with kids or humans in your life, there are certain names that are automatically crossed off the list. Most names my husband and I did not both love. One of us would think the other name was fine, but it wasn’t anything that the other one was jumping up and down about.

For a variety of reasons, we both felt that if our firstborn was a little girl that we would name her Mary. We had many signs and felt especially moved by The Holy Spirit with this decision. We knew as soon as we found out she was a girl that her name would be Mary. We also both knew that her middle name would be Leigh after my mom.

I have seen a quote before that said, “Her middle name is her grandmother’s name. A torch lit by the woman who came before her.” I could not have picked a more fitting way to describe the significance of her middle name and why we chose it.

On my daughter’s seventh birthday and Mother’s Day approaching this weekend, I hope that both my sweet little girl and my mom both realize how much they are both loved. I hope that they both know the impact they have on our family. I hope they both know that they are the glue that holds our family together. I hope they realize they are both beautiful.

Do they know how funny they both are, and the amount of joy they add to our family? Do they know that I am proud of them?

Do they know that I admire my daughter’s spirit and my mom’s strength? Does Mary realize how fortunate she is to have my mom as her grandma? Does my mom know how much Mary idolizes her and that she’s one of her most special people?

Does my mom realize that I hope to be like her one day, and that I look at my daughter and am struck by the kindness I see from her daily?

Mary’s name was chosen for a reason. The torch my mom continues to light for my daughter, my sister, and me burns bright, and that same light radiates through my daughter every time she smiles. Happy birthday, Mary, and happy Mother’s Day, Mom! You are both loved.

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.