Sean Michael

Recently we were talking with people about names. In the US it is common to have a first name and middle name. My oldest brother is named after my father, using his middle name. He is Christopher Francis. Although I am the 3rd child, I am the 2nd son, so I am named after my mother: Scott Patrick (my mom is Patricia). Most of us are named after famous people at the time. I am named for Scott Carpenter, an astronaut. My younger brother is named after John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King (he is John Martin). 

In Belgium and the Netherlands there are lots of people with only one name. They do not have a middle name. Or if they come from a Catholic family, they have LOTS of names - all named after the parents or grandparents of godparents. But most only have one name. And those of us from the US often only use our first name. The middle name is reserved for when Mom really wants to get your attention: “Scott Patrick Raab you get over here RIGHT NOW!”

Often a name is chosen because is means something. A family we met recently had given all of their children Biblical names that mean something in Hebrew or Greek. But some parents simply go through the name book looking for something that sounds good as it rolls off the tongue. If your last name has three syllables, you might choose shorter first and middle names. 

We had tried to find a name for our first son that would fit in two different languages and cultures. It ended up not fitting in either very well. So when our second son came and we were already living in Belgium, we were certain that we wanted an “S” - we were all an “s” at this point - but we wanted something that would sound right and also work in the language. 

Sean Michael Raab was born on September 1 a few years ago. He had tried to show up a few weeks earlier while we were at camp, but the hospital sent us home - “false labor”. But when he came, he made his presence known. He had a low voice for a baby. And he looked at you with very serious eyes. But oh, he was beautiful. Just like his older brother had been, but different. Our boys were of course the most beautiful of babies in the world. 

We had to decide if we would use both of Sean’s names or just the one. Would he be Sean-Michael? Or Sean Michael? Or Sean? We called him “Sean Michael” for a while when he was a baby, but it ended up as simply Sean (until he wasn’t listening and the “Michael” had to be added). People here still weren’t sure how to pronounce his name. We thought “Sean Connery” would be enough of a clue, but they pronounced this actor as sée-uhn kahn-uh-ree. 

It has been a pleasure watching Sean grow up. We are thrilled with how he cares for the people around him and has become a teacher. He was always a teacher, willing to share what he had learned - if you could understand it. Today is Sean’s birthday and he is far away, but we are thankful for video calls and he and his wife Jilll taking time from their day to say hello. 

(Picture from 2023 during our Home Assignment)