Middle Name

I did not jump on the Encyclopedia of Me bandwagon, but thought I could handle this simpler version.

Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.My middle name is...........

Elisabeth.

E: Elise. My two year old daughter. She is my delight. She can make me laugh and cry in the same minute. Being her mother is no less wonderful than I dreamt motherhood would be.

L: Listener. I'd rather listen than talk. This frequently makes me feel that I am a boring person. My friends will tell me about what's going on in their lives, and then will ask me what's going on in mine, and I feel tongue-tied. I usually feel that if I don't have something "big" to tell, then I have nothing of interest to say. I enjoy hearing the details of my friends' lives, but somehow feel that they would not be interested in the details of mine. I suppose all that really means is that I am not a sparkling conversationalist.

I: Introverted. I'm not as shy as I was growing up, but I still have to remind myself to introduce myself to people, strike up a conversation, etc.

S: Sensitive. Despite the fact that I am apparently the personification of Compassion Fatigue, the pain of others - family or stranger, friend or foe - really does affect me very deeply. I took a psychological personality inventory once, and it showed that I tend to take on the problems of others as if they were my own. Working in a hospital taught me to be a little more objective. In healthcare, you have to care, but you also have to maintain an emotional distance. Sometimes pain is inflicted to save a life; treatment can be severely retarding; parents cannot be protected from the truth of their child's condition. The ability to do one's job involves a tricky balance of sympathy and professionalism. I am very grateful for this practical lesson. It is invaluable as a parent.

This trait comes through in all situations, not just those in which I have personal contact with a pained person. You will never see me dancing in the streets over the execution or sentencing of a criminal. I believe in justice, I think that execution is sometimes the best course of action, and I am certainly glad when a dangerous person is removed from public contact. But I never feel exulted over a criminal's punishment. I usually feel very sad thinking about the hopelessness, anger, and depravity that they must feel, and the extreme pain that their loved ones must feel. This does not in any way take away from my sympathy for the victims and their families, nor does it impede my sense of justice. It just makes me sad.

A: Andy. My husband. He is my joy. He is constantly coming up with new ways to show me his love. He makes me laugh. He challenges me to learn. He is a wonderful father. I love him.

B: Baby. I want another one. Several more, actually...just not all at once.

E: Evergreen. It is the name of my church (and, incidentally, my state). Our church is a big part of our lives. Within our church family we worship, learn, serve, and fellowship. Church provides a wellspring that allows those actions to overflow into every other area of our lives.

T: Timid. I am a people pleaser by nature and by upbringing. Timidity is a great bane in my life, a weakness of which I am constantly aware and that I am constantly fighting.

H: Happy. I am happy. When Andy and I are asked what our dreams are, we look at each other and kind of smile. Our greatest dreams have already come true. We're living them. We have a strong, happy marriage and a beautiful, healthy daughter. We have the provisions we need. We have good friends, people whose company we enjoy and who challenge us. We have a home. We have goals and such for the future, of course, but they are akin to Cinderella wanting to upgrade her pumpkin carriage. Icing on the cake, so to speak.

Whew. I have a long middle name. I am not going to "tag" anyone. Just feel free to play along if you want.