I'm officially a Rose, after so much paperwork …
To change my last name after getting married, I had to visit the Secretary of State's office, the Social Security office, the Secretary of State's office again, the credit union, and the library. I filled out more forms for work and car insurance, my Verizon Wireless account, mPerks, yes Rewards, other various store accounts, and the list goes on.
Call it old fashioned, but to me, all of this paperwork was worth it to have my new name. After all, I feel like a new person. Although I still have the same physical appearance, there is something inside of me that changed when I became a wife; something that merits, in my opinion, a new identity.
When Abram was charged with fathering the nations in Genesis, he got a new name—Abraham. When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was appointed to the papacy this year, he got a new name—Pope Francis. When Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. hit the stage, he got a new name—Snoop Dogg, aka Snoop Lion.
While my vocation as a wife may not be as biblically historical, as internationally renowned, or as musically inclined, I'm still called to carry out a new mission, to fulfill a new role. And I'm not just talking laundry and vacuuming (although I do love those things). Even though I can't really put into words how I am different, I'm striving each day to be an outward sign of my inward change, and I'm praying that I can be the kind of wife that is deserved of a new title.
Written by: Erika Rose is West Michigan Woman magazine's staff writer. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism. Erika was born and raised in West Michigan, and after a brief stint on the sunrise side, she's home and loving it.
