What’s in a name?
For 36 years I have proudly carried the name of two of the greatest men I’ve ever known - my Grandpa & my Dad. If you’re new here you might not know that my Dad was adopted as an infant. My grandpa was an amazing father who thought my Dad hung the moon. He flew cross country every chance he got to watch my Dad play then coach. He literally mailed us a box of my Dad’s little league trophies a few years back because he had saved every single one. He loved being a Dad and he loved being a Grandpa. He use to say I was a hilarious story teller and would beg me to retell stories about him. Our shared favorite was when I was five years old and he took my sister and I to McDonalds. He said, ‘watch this girls’ and tried to blow bubbles in his chocolate malt but it splashed all over his glasses. He was also a bad tipper (something that annoyed me more as I got older) and I would force him to leave extra cash especially when he would tell a waitress he’d give her a tip and the tip was not to the touch the rim of his coffee cup. He was almost never without a cup of coffee.
I think one of the most beautiful things about adoption is that it’s so much like Christ adopting us. Isn’t there something extra special about being wanted, sought out, and given someone’s last name? Made part of their family. I love it to my core. My grandparents built a loving family through adoption and I always admired the strength of their love for family.
For many years I thought I would never change my name. Christensen has always fit me and belonging to this family is one of the greatest honors of my life. My parents are two of the most remarkable and respectable people I know. They are smart, kind, generous, loving, gracious, and talented. Being proud of them is easy and bragging about them is tempting. Most probably think my Dad is the impressive one for his career but to be honest, my Mom’s the one that can do anything from wallpapering to plumbing and from alterations to an updo. She’s truly a Jill of all trades.
For the next two weeks I’m the last remaining Christensen daughter. The last to marry. The last to face the name change decision. For many years I thought, I might just keep it. Do I really need a change? I aspire to be as humble and yet hardworking as my Dad. To consider others before myself the way I’ve watched him do so many times with his fellow coaches and his players. To be the kind of friend who doesn’t just stick by people in good times but shows up for them in their hardest moments. He never brought a football loss home to us kids. He left work at work and truly embraced his role as Dad when he was with us. If I’m being 100% honest there’s some areas I’d much rather take after my Mom in too but this post is really about the men who gave me their name so let’s stay on task.
My Grandpa & my Dad had more things in common than I noticed when I was young. My gramps was tall, skinny and very pale while my Dad was short, athletic and brown. They looked nothing alike but good luck finding two men who have impacted as many lives as they have. A few years ago we lost my Grandpa and the stories of people who knew him have continued to come in. Mechanics he lead to Christ, marriages he saved with counseling, church members who heard him preach right up into his 90s. He was a WW2 veteran who fought in Normandy. He was the king of scrabble. I stay the most amazed though that he lived his life loving other people so well.
Years ago they did an article about my Dad and this quote from Trent Dilfer pretty much sums it up:
Later, in the spring of 2003, Dilfer’s 5-year-old son, Trevin, died of a heart condition. Christensen flew to Seattle to spend several weeks comforting Dilfer.
“He left the Colts in the midst of their offseason and he came and lived life with us,” Dilfer told The Indianapolis Star. “He sat with us. He prayed with us. He cried with us. Words can’t explain the commitment, the dedication.
“It maybe sounds trite, but there are few people on the planet you’d jump in front of a bullet for. Clyde’s at the top of that list for me.”
Dad has more friends than anyone I know and he has continually made an effort to be a great friend despite keeping one of the craziest work schedules I’ve ever seen. The sports world is busy and demanding but he’ll climb in the car after a long day and call three friends on his way home just to see how they’re doing. He calls me on big days for me with my career - even if it’s from a bus on the way to a game. Just to see how a meeting, a review, the request for a raise went. He is thoughtful and looks for ways to make life fun for others. He is one of the most generous people I have ever known. Perhaps by now it goes without saying that if I end up anything like my Grandpa and my Dad I will be so much better for it.
The Christensen name is a legacy I will always feel proud of and as such, I’m keeping it as my middle name. I want to continue to aspire to create the kind of legacy these men have lived and continue to live. But this post really wouldn’t be complete without saying that there’s a sweet new chapter to this story. I’ve found a man who I love and respect enough to move this name aside and take his. Truly, I do not say this lightly. Blake is gracious, kind, smart, funny, and so generous it inspires me. He pushes me, encourages me, loves me, prays and worships with me, and when needed: keeps me in line. Being with him has made me better in so many ways and the idea of being teammates and facing a lifetime of what God has for us, together, feels like the ultimate privilege. I honestly can’t wait to take his name. To be his other half. To be Mrs. Biggs. So in two short weeks when I become Becca Christensen Biggs I will get to carry not just one name for two great men but two names for three great men. It is my great hope that I will make all three of them proud.
